


The Light Behind A Cloud

by ilikeshipment



Series: The Light Behind A Cloud [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: 1960s, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Choking, Clothing Kink, Dave doesn't die and Klaus is happy damn it, Drug Use, First Love, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, M/M, Period Typical Attitudes, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2020-02-21 17:32:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 71,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18707062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilikeshipment/pseuds/ilikeshipment
Summary: Klaus wasn’t afraid of death, never really has been. It’s the people who were already there and what it seemed to do to them. Dead or alive, here or at home, he’ll be miserable. So might as well stay here where he might have a chance at something good for once. Something his supposed home could never give him.~An account of Klaus’ time in Vietnam, on a diverged path where Dave survives his injuries. Flowered with opportunities, Klaus chooses to leave his old life behind and stay in the past with him. But how will his decision effect the timeline he abandoned, where his siblings continue to fight to stop the apocalypse in his absence?





	1. Turning Over

A flash of light appeared behind Cha-Cha’s head and before Hazel knew what was going on, she was knocked out cold. As she fell, she revealed Number Five holding the motel phone. Hazel reacted quickly from his perch on his bed, reaching for his gun on the nightstand. But when he brought the weapon up to shoot, he quickly found out that Five had pulled a switcheroo with his gun and a stapler. A classic trick he’d been using since he was a kid on missions.

“Alright, big guy, I don’t have a lot of time, so—“ But before he could finish his thought, Hazel was up and charging at him. Five sighed and spatial jumped to the other side of the room. “Really, I have no time for this, I just—“

Hazel was charging at him again, yelling this time. Five rolled his eyes and jumped again, this time appearing right behind Hazel, and he put him in a choke hold. Hazel tried to flip him, but his hold was too firm. Quickly losing oxygen, Five brought him down to his knees easily. Desperate, Hazel tried to pry Five’s arms off him, but he was oddly strong.

“I just need to borrow your briefcase,” Five finally got out. Hazel scoffed.

“What makes you think I’d let you have it?” He struggled to speak.

“Because you don’t care about your current assignment nor what really happens to me.” He had a point.

“That’s true,” Hazel sighed. He stopped struggling.

“Then where is it?”

“It’s not here.”

“Oh, yeah?” He didn’t believe him, but he was also curious as to what the cover story was. “Where is it, then?”

“Your junkie brother took it.”

This made Five pause for a moment.  Then he got angrier and tightened his hold. Hazel really started to choke, but still wasn’t fighting back anymore. He just wanted Five to leave. Cha-Cha would be pissed, but all he wanted to do right now was get a donut.

“And just how did my dear brother get his hands on it?”

“Because we kidnapped him? Didn’t you get our message?” What the fuck was with this family? Guess Klaus was right when he said no one would notice he was gone.

“Well, shit,” Five said. “You guys are useless.” And then he was gone and Hazel collapsed to the ground.

 

“I’m gonna go after them and I’m gonna kill them. Mark my word,” Diego was telling his siblings as Five appeared in the family room. A few of them jumped in surprise.

“Five? What’s going on?” Allison asked.

Diego said, “What’s going on is, his little _buddies_ killed Patch.” He pointed his words and finger at Five.

“Right, sorry about that, but there’s another issue—“

“Wait, did you just go somewhere?” Allison asked.

“Yes.”

“The world ends in six days and you’re taking a personal day?” Luther accused.

“Excuse me?” Don’t you think everything I’m doing serves some purpose towards ending the apocalypse? At least I’m not planning on abandoning you guys to avenge one single person.”

Diego charged at Five, but he jumped out of the way. He reappeared sitting at the bar. “Would you guys get over yourselves for five fucking minutes and listen to me?” He said. Allison and Luther stared at him. Diego crossed his arms, but he was listening. “The world ends in six days, but we have another problem to solve before we can do anything about it.”

Diego scoffed. “Oh, so my personal vendetta is bullshit, but when it’s something _you_ want to do, it’s suddenly more important than the end of the world? Whatever, I’m out,” he said with a dismissive arm wave.

“Klaus is missing,” Five said. This made Diego pause. They all looked to Five.

“What else is new?” Luther asked.

“What else is…? We need him, you idiot!”

“Really?” Luther asked. “Klaus?”

“Yes, really, Klaus,” Five mocked. “We’re all in agreement, we need the full force of the Academy to stop this thing. If we can find his ass and get him to sober up for one god damn day, then, yes, he can be of some use to us.”

“Okay, so, what? We check the back alleyways?” Allison suggested.

“I wish it were that simple,” Five said. “But he could be anywhere. And I mean _anywhere._ ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Diego asked. Five was quiet for a second. “I swear to God, Five, if you don’t—“

“—He stole Hazel and Cha-Cha’s briefcase,” he said. That thought would amuse him if it wasn’t so inconvenient.

“And what the hell does that mean?” Luther asked.

“Well, the briefcase allows them to travel in time, much like how I can on my own,” he explained. “And now Klaus has one. If he opened it, well…. He could be anywhere. And I mean anywhere. In space _and_ time.”

He was met with varying looks of confusion and shock. Then they all spoke over each other simultaneously, expressing their varying degrees of confusion. Five told them briefly about The Commission and what all of this really meant.

“So, what are we supposed to do?” Allison asked when Five finished.

Five was silent for a moment. He was looking down at the ground, deep in thought. He shook his head. “I’m not sure. But, if The Commission finds out he has the briefcase, they’ll most likely kill him.” Everyone was silent.

“I need to think,” Five said. And just like that, he was gone.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Klaus sat on his bunk, staring at the wall of the dark tent, contemplating his next move. Across the way were two guys playing cards. Another guy was cleaning his weapons. Klaus looked to the empty bunk next to him. Dave had introduced himself that morning on the bus. He remembered the shy smile he had given him. The way their hands clasped together, the touch prolonged for just a few moments too long. He didn’t think either of them minded, though.

There was something about him that made Klaus’ mind scream at him to stay. Like he was meant to be there and this guy was his saving grace. He didn’t really believe in destiny or love at first sight or any of that bullshit. But with Dave? Maybe. A solid maybe.

Under his bunk sat the briefcase. His ticket out of here. And it would be so simple, too. Just open it up and he’d be back home. He knew this was the worst place for him to be right now and it would be so foolish to stay here, especially with his powers. But, if he was being honest with himself, this wasn’t much better than back home. There was no escaping the dead, so why should he go anywhere else?

Here, there was this sweet, handsome, and charming man who showed interest in him immediately. Klaus had never experienced anything like that before. Why Dave was into him, he had no idea. But he wanted to see how this played out.

He knows what happens when you die, where you go. The black abyss from which the dead scream for him. Klaus wasn’t afraid of death, never really has been. It’s the people who were already there and what it seemed to do to them. Dead or alive, here or at home, he’d be miserable. So, might as well stay here where he might have a chance at something good for once. Something his supposed home could never give him.

Except he didn’t know how he would survive here. He’d never shot a gun before in his life. He hardly knew how to fight. The training would be hard enough, let alone actual battle. Last night, when the bombs dropped and he was forced out there, he mostly hid. He tried his best to shoot, but he was pretty sure he only skid the arm of one guy. And he didn’t feel very good about it.

In fact, he still didn’t feel very good. He clutched his stomach, feeling nauseous. He was still having withdrawal symptoms and he particularly felt like shit right now. He lowered himself off his bed onto the ground and began to crawl to the empty bed in front of him. He looked through the owner’s stuff and found a water bottle. He drank almost half of it.

“Klaus?” He heard a voice ask. He spilled some of the water on himself when he saw who it was. And really, he should’ve known. Once they arrived at their new outpost and set up camp, he set his bed up right next to Klaus.

“Oh!” He exclaimed with some water still in his mouth. He swallowed. “Hi, Dave,” he said sheepishly. “I just. Wasn’t feeling so good and, uh—“

“—It’s okay,” Dave assured.

“Oh. Thank you.” He capped off the water bottle, set it down, and stood up to be face to face with Dave. He searched Klaus’ eyes for a moment. There was just a hint of concern on Dave’s face. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Klaus answered too quickly. “Great. I’m great, I just, uh…”

“Nerves kicking in?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Klaus tried to smile at him, but it felt too forced. Dave looked at him with sympathy.

“Well, I think I have something that can help you out a little bit,” Dave said. He had actually been looking for Klaus for a reason. He just didn’t think he’d find him on the floor next to his cot drinking his water.

“Oh?”

Dave cleared his throat. “So, I was thinking I’d show you some rifle maintenance. Like, taking it apart and cleaning it and such.” His fingers drummed on the rifle he had slung across his shoulders.

Klaus looked unsure.

“I know this is stuff they show you in basic, but a lot of new guys struggle with it,” Dave explained. He sat down between the two beds and patted the space in front of him for Klaus to join. Klaus immediately sat back down so he was sitting in front of Dave. He sat back on his heels and looked at him. Dave looked at Klaus for a moment and let out a small laugh. “You need your gun, Klaus.”

“Oh, yeah,” Klaus said. He turned around and crawled on the floor to his rifle. Dave’s eyes stayed on him and the way Klaus was crawling on the ground made him blush. Klaus had a nice build, too, and right now Dave had a good view of his ass. When Klaus returned to his spot, he thought Dave looked flustered.

He cleared his throat. “Okay, so, tell me what you already know.”

There was a long pause while Klaus stared at the weapon in his hands, followed by a resounding, “Nothing.”

Something that looked like sympathy flashed on Dave’s face when he said, “That’s okay. You’re not the first one.” That shouldn’t have surprised Klaus, but it did.

“Okay, so, rule number one in gun safety: never point your gun at someone and always leave your finger off the trigger.”

“That’s two rules.”

Dave smiled again. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” He then taught Klaus how to check the ammunition and turn the safety on and off. “Okay, now we’re ready to disassemble.”

“How long is this going to take?” Klaus asked, much like a high school student asking about a class assignment. Most people would get offended, but it was hilarious to Dave. So much so, it made him snort.

“Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.”

Thirty minutes later and both men had every part of their guns laid out before them. In the midst of the lesson, Dave kept noticing the tattoos on Klaus’ hands and made a mental note to ask about them later.

“Alright, now, we’re gonna do the same thing, but backwards,” Dave said. Klaus snorted in response.

He wanted to be doing literally anything else. Especially with Dave, who was being so sweet and patient with him. At least they were able to make each other laugh. It made this daunting task, one that involved entirely way too much brain power, a lot more bearable.

It took almost twice as long for Klaus to put the rifle back together. He messed up twice and Dave had him start over completely each time.

“You’re such a hard teacher,” Klaus teased.

“Well, I wanted to make sure you got it,” Dave said. “So, you got it?” He asked.

Klaus looked at him worried. Dave broke character and smiled.

“I’m kidding,” he said warmly. Klaus smiled with him. “I know it’s a lot, but you’ll get it.”

“Oh, okay, good. Well, thank you.”

“Anytime.”        

There was a beat before Klaus spoke again. “You really didn’t have to do all this.”

Dave shrugged. “Maybe not, but I wanted to.”

Klaus didn’t know what else to do but smile and thank him again.

“You’re welcome. Hey, do you need a lesson on shooting?”

Klaus thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah, that’d be nice.” He doesn’t like asking for things, but Dave was offering, so, where’s the harm?

“Okay, uh, it’s too dark now so we can do it tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t we gotta like, train or something?”           

“Oh, you don’t know? We get some rare R&R the next few days. We can do whatever.”              

“That’s allowed?”

Dave chuckled. “Yeah, about once a month. We usually go to clubs or whatever.”

_Oh, thank God,_ Klaus thought. That was literally music to his ears.

“We should hit the hay, though, we still gotta wake up early tomorrow.”

 

That night, Klaus had a nightmare. He hasn’t been high for two days now and the ghosts’ screams have never been louder. Especially here. “ **WHY KLAUS** ,” they screamed for him. “ **WHY. TAKE US AWAY. HELP US.** ” They chanted and screamed and wailed.

“No, no, no, please, stop. I can’t,” Klaus mumbled in his sleep. He started to sweat as his head shook back and forth. “Stop! Go away!” He yelled.

He was awakened by his shoulders being shaken. His eyes snapped open as he sprung forward. He gasped for air, looking around the tent in bewilderment. He forgot where he was until he saw Dave’s face looking back at him with concern.

“Sorry,” Klaus sighed.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Dave said softly. “A lot of guys have nightmares their first night. Last night was crazy.”

Klaus nodded, but it was obvious he was about to cry. Dave instinctively rubbed his back. “Sorry,” Klaus apologized again, wiping away a stray tear. “I just, God…” And Dave noticed he was shaking. “What time is it?”

“Not sure, sometime in the early morning. You should try to get some more sleep before the wake up call.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks,” Klaus said.

It only felt like fifteen minutes later when the horn blared through the camp, awakening the troops. They had to do bed inspections before they were dismissed for breakfast. Klaus followed Dave to the food truck, where they were handing out their rations for the day.

“Mmm, my compliments to the chef,” Klaus said as he stared at the grey food on his tray. Dave chuckled and shook his head.

“Oh, haven’t you heard about our Michelin rating here?” Dave asked. Klaus snorted and Dave was pleased with his joke. He nudged Klaus with his elbow. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of the guys.”

Dave led him to a group of guys sitting under a tree. He could feel the nerves creeping in. He was never very sociable and he especially felt nervous around hyper masculine men. But he trusted Dave and if he was friends with these guys, then maybe they wouldn’t be so bad.

“Hey, Dave, who’s the pretty boy?” A short but heavily muscled man asked. Dave shot him a look as they sat down.

“This is Klaus. He just got in a few days ago.”

“Yeah, I thought I’d seen you ‘round recently,” the same man said. He stuck his hand out for Klaus to take. “My name’s Clyde.” Klaus shook his hand as they exchanged pleasantries. “Oh, what’s that?” He asked about the writing on Klaus’ hands.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Klaus dismissed.

“Ah, shit, well, you’re definitely gonna be all tatted up by the time you leave here,” Clyde chuckled. “Anyway, this is Benjamin,” Clyde said, motioning to the older guy sitting next to him. He was a lot taller and a little more heavyweight than Clyde. They looked a little silly sitting next to each other. The other man stuck his hand out as well.

“You can call me ‘Benny’,” he told Klaus as he shook his hand.

“Oh, my brother’s name is Ben,” Klaus told him. He had no idea why he offered up that information, but it seemed like a good thing to say. Dave smiled at the thought of another Klaus running around somewhere. He wondered if he was as cute or eccentric as the man sitting next to him. Klaus noticed Dave was smiling as he softly whispered something to himself.

Once Klaus was introduced to the rest of the group, he hung back from their conversation. Opting to just listen and take in everything they were saying and how they behaved. He didn’t even fit in with his own family, so he really had no expectations about fitting in around here. But they all seemed friendly enough. It was all a waiting game at this point.

 

After they ate, Dave and Klaus went out towards the perimeter of the camp and faced into the jungle.

“Alright, we’re not gonna go too far out here because there are mines lining the very perimeter,” Dave warned him.

“Oh, is that so we don’t escape?” Klaus asked, making Dave laugh.

“More like the opposite,” he said. “But, I wouldn’t blame anyone who tried to escape in the middle of the night.” Klaus looked rather surprised by this. He wouldn’t have pinned Dave as a rebel type. “Okay, so, you’ve shot a gun before, right?” Dave asked. When Klaus said no, Dave shook his head. “Damn, did they teach you anything in basic?”

He was supposed to get training? “Uh, well, no, not really.”

“Shit, well, you’ll get plenty of chances to practice. Obviously, we won’t shoot right now. I’ll just show you how to aim.”

“Okay, yeah,” Klaus agreed quietly.

After making sure the safety was on, Dave instructed for Klaus to pick a target. As he stared into the thick woods, he thought he saw figures in the shadows. He nearly brought his gun up to shoot, but he knew when who he was seeing was alive or dead. These people were definitely dead. They just stood there, staring at him. He swallowed thickly and tried to ignore them, but he felt his pulse quickening.

He tried to focus on the simple task Dave gave him. Pick a target. Right. He picked a thick branch that was twisting up at an odd angle. He lifted the rifle up and tried to find it through the small scope, but his hands were shaking.

“Easy, just breathe,” Dave said and Klaus felt a little more relaxed. “Okay, you wanna hold it so the butt sits like this on your shoulder.” He reached over and adjusted the gun for Klaus. “More comfortable, right?”

“Yeah,” Klaus nodded.

“Where you aimin’ for?”

“That knotted up branch over there.” His throat was dry. It was hard to focus with such a growing audience.

Dave moved behind Klaus so he could more easily see what he was seeing. He spotted the crooked branch and nodded. “Okay, now just try to get it in the crosshairs,” he said. Klaus brought the gun back up and tried again. “Mm, hold it more like this,” Dave reached around and adjusted the placement of Klaus’ left hand on the barrel. He realized this was probably all massively unnecessary, but he also wanted to make it very clear to Klaus that he was interested.

Klaus could feel himself blush, which was unusual because he honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone made him do that. “I’m pretty sure I got it,” Klaus announced and brought the gun down. He really just wanted to get out of there. And maybe see if he had any pills left in his coat. Dave stepped around Klaus to be more face to face with him.

“Hey,” Dave started, but stopped as he thought about his next words carefully. “Look, I’m not gonna sugar coat it.” His change of tone made Klaus cock his head. “It’s gonna be rough out there. You’re gonna see a lot of tough, nasty shit. But, you’ll survive. All of us, the troop, we got each other’s backs. It’s how we all survive.”

Klaus nodded, Dave’s words actually made him feel a little better.          

“Besides, I can tell you’re a fighter.”

To Klaus, those words couldn’t be any further from the truth. He cleared his throat.

“So, what shall I wear tonight?” He asked, tugging at his own vest.

“Do you not have clothes?”

“Nope, just my coat,” Klaus said. “And I’m not wearing this, I hate when military people wear their uniforms everywhere. It’s so tacky.” Dave laughed at this.

“Okay, well, we can get you some clothes.”

 

The town they ventured into was nothing like Klaus had seen before. It was crowded and dirty like any other city, but there were so many charming shops decorated with colorful lights and neon signs. People were wearing fun mix-matched outfits and speaking languages he didn’t understand. He could hear a variety of music coming from all directions. Street vendors were selling food he didn’t recognize but it smelled so wonderful. He loved it all and was oddly thankful to be here. Dave watched him as Klaus took in his surroundings, mystified.

“Come on, there’s a little shop over here, we can get you something,” Dave said. He took Klaus’ arm and lead him across the busy street, with Clyde and Benny in tow. A bell above the door rang as they entered the small, dusty shop. The shop runner perked up, slightly alarmed by the group of men walking through the door, but she gave them a friendly greeting anyway.

“Don’t take too long, I wanna get to the disco,” Clyde said.

“Yeah, whatever, I’m gonna get something for Sophie,” Benny said, walking to the jewelry section. But Clyde was already out of sight doing God knows what.

Klaus spun as he took in all of the brought colors and bold patterns. His eyes were immediately drawn to a light green button down with small pink flowers on it. It reminded him of his favorite shirt back home.

“How many things can I get?” He asked. Dave chuckled.

“You don’t need a lot, really. Just a few shirts and a pair of pants, I guess. And shoes if you want ‘em.”

“I don’t have a lot of money.”

“I figured. I can cover what you can’t.”

Klaus looked to him. “No, you don’t have to do that,” he said, waving his hands. Dave peaked at his tattoos again.

“Really, it’s okay. A few things won’t be that much.”

“Okay, thank you,” he said in a small voice. He didn’t like accepting favors, but Dave was so sweet and kind that he couldn’t turn down his offer.

 “You’re welcome,” Dave said as he rested his hand on Klaus’ back and gave him a small smile. Klaus could feel his face heating up.

“I like this one,” he said, touching the sleeve of the green shirt.

“Then get it!” Dave encouraged. “I’m not surprised that that’s your first choice,” he said. Klaus smiled shyly at him and Dave thought he looked beautiful.

Klaus had picked up two more shirts, an orange striped tee and a thin, lavender long sleeve, along with a pair of pinstripe pants and some canvas shoes that weren’t unlike his pair back home. Along the way, he had s potted some items he most likely would have gotten if he were alone. Or if he was just with Dave. One of them being a cute, mustard yellow skirt that would’ve fallen just above his knees. He thought it would look good with a black tank or something. There was also a royal blue scarf and some jewelry he was a fan of. He made a note to come back here once he had enough of his own money.

“Is there a dressing room?” Klaus asked, satisfied with his selection for now.

“Yeah, in that far corner over there,” Dave pointed.

Ten minutes later and Klaus had tried everything on. It all seemed to fit well, something Klaus tended to find success in considering he didn’t really care how most things fit anyway. Right now he was looking at himself in the mirror, wearing what he planned to wear tonight. The pinstripe pants and the orange striped tee. It was definitely still his style, but a little toned down. He didn’t want to get too wild his first night out with the guys.

One thing he did like about it, though, was how tight fitting it was. And how the stripes on the pants made his legs look longer than they already were. The shirt wasn’t quite long enough to meet his pants, leaving some skin exposed at his midriff. He allowed himself to think he looked good. Taking a deep breath, he left the dressing room.

“So, what do you think?” He asked as he stepped out. He was surprised to see Clyde and Benny standing there as well, holding their purchases. Benny whistled at him.

“Daaaaamn, Skinny,” Clyde chirped.

Dave, however, was practically speechless. This was the first time he was seeing Klaus in civilian clothes and he looked _cute._

“Uh, yeah, that’s. You loo goo—fine. You look fine.” His voice wavered and he could feel his face turn red as Klaus stared at him. Benny rolled his eyes at Dave and smiled knowingly.

“Great, let’s go,” Clyde said, getting up and power walking towards the door.

 

Klaus had always dreamed about what real discos were like in their prime. The real thing did not disappoint. In fact, it was better than he had imagined. Funky lights lined the walls and dance floor, where people in fun, colorful outfits were dancing carefree to upbeat music. Everyone in the building appeared to have a bright smile on their face. And of course, the bright shining disco ball scattered light across the dancers. It seemed like heaven to Klaus.

But as he looked harder, he noticed a few oddballs. The ones that were staring at him, their yells just barely audible over the music. He shut his eyes tight and reopened them, but they were still there. He was starting to wonder if the street outside was really that crowded. He hadn’t realized it, but he had been staring at the dance floor with intense eyes.

“First time at a disco?” Dave asked, startling him.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah,” he said. He didn’t know if he couldn’t form sentences because of the ghosts or because Dave’s lips were close to his ear. “Bathrooms?” He asked. Dave pointed to the bright neon sign on the other side of the club. Klaus nodded and scuffled away towards the little nook.

In the stall, he pulled out a small, plastic baggie from his pocket. In it was a half-crushed pill. The last of his stash that wasn’t destroyed or taken by Hazel and Cha-Cha. With a sigh, he swallowed it dry. He figured this was the best course of action since he didn’t want to get royally wasted in front of everyone. At least not yet.

He strolled out of the bathroom, the ghosts were already starting to fade. He approached his group, who were joined by a few other soldiers and some girls. A few rounds of shots were already on the table. He took the only spot available across from Dave. He happily took one of the shots, knocking it back like it was nothing. The group whooped and laughed, some patting Klaus on his back. “Oh, that’s the god shit,” he exclaimed as he slammed the small glass down.

“You drink heavy?” One of the guys asked.

“Oh, yeah, baby,” Klaus said, nodding enthusiastically. A few more whoops were let out.

“Alright, that’s what I like to hear!” Clyde exclaimed. He raised a shot glass, “Let’s get wasted, boys!” The group cheered before all downing shots together. Dave took his with both hands, eyes on Klaus as he easily downed his second shot.

Klaus noticed Dave was quieter when he was with a large group, only really speaking when spoken to. He just listened as some of the guys told harrowing stories to the girls, trying to seem brave and heroic. Trevor, one of the younger guys, was trying his best to impress this girl, but she didn’t seem to be buying it. Dave turned to Klaus and made an exaggerated wince at the scene, making Klaus giggle.

A girl pulled Clyde away to the dance floor and Benny sat on the other side of the long table chatting to one of the other older soldiers. Dave took this opportunity to lean forwards on the table so he could talk directly to Klaus.

“How do you like it so far?” Dave asked, having to yell over the music.

“You mean the disco or here in general?” Klaus asked and immediately felt dumb.

Dave’s smile only grew. “The disco.”

“Oh! Yeah, it’s great!” Klaus said.

“Yeah, they got a great scene over here.” He smiled at Klaus, then reached for two more shot glasses. He put one in front of Klaus and then raised his own slightly off the table. “Ever link arms?” He asked.

“What? Oh! Yeah,” he understood once Dave reached his arm over the table. Klaus took his glass and crosses his wrist over Dave’s. He noticed Klaus’ hand was trembling. Then they both moved to take their shots. Klaus could feel Dave’s muscles as he brought their arms up. Klaus’ skin was soft as it glided across Dave’s arm. He was distracted from the soft touch as the sharp taste of the whiskey settled on his tongue. He winced as they brought their glasses down. Klaus laughed at him.

“Too strong for ya?”

“A little bit,” Dave admitted, still clearly struggling. He reached over with his other hand to get his glass of water. This made Klaus laugh harder, but it wasn’t malicious. Then he noticed their arms were still loosely crossed and resting on the table, empty shot glasses in their hands. Dave watched Klaus as he studied their arms on the table.

“Hey,” Dave said. Klaus looked up at him. “Do you wanna go dance?”

Klaus raised an eyebrow at him.

“Uh, I mean, the others. Join the others. On the da—“ Klaus laughed.

“Yeah, I do,” he said with an easy smile.

They joined their group on the dance floor, staying close enough together. Klaus’ dancing could be described as rhythmic flailing. He was still on beat, but he looked cute and silly. He got so into it, making faces and using the whole space around him.

Dave loved it. He wasn’t much of a dancer himself, moving this way and that. He usually felt ridiculous in settings like this, but he didn’t feel so next to Klaus. They glanced at each other every now and then, making eye contact and laughing. At one point, they were dancing so close it could be assumed they were dance partners.

Klaus started to get butterflies in his stomach. He had never actually felt interested in someone beyond just a hookup before. He could feel the same energy off of Dave. He knows when guys are interested in him and Dave had been dropping hints left and right. But if he wasn’t sure before, the linking arms thing was definitely a good indication that Yes, He Was Interested.

But, of course, with the good feelings also came the bad ones. He never handled his nerves well and this was a type of situation he’d never dealt with before. Might as well deal with it like every other situation.

“I’m gonna get another drink,” he told Dave. He stumbled his way off the dance floor and Dave thought even that was cute, but he was sad to see him go. He stayed on the floor while Klaus ordered his drink. He couldn’t help but notice when Klaus didn’t come back.

A few songs later and Klaus was still leaning against the bar, his back facing the dance floor. He was leaning all his weight on one leg, making his hip pop out. Dave couldn’t help but check him out and really notice how good he looked in that outfit.

Dave found he was already moving towards the bar. He suddenly got very nervous and could feel himself start to sweat. He had no idea what he was going to say to him this time. His opening lines have been a little lackluster so far. Klaus made him so nervous, he could hardly think straight. He hadn’t felt this way since he was a teenager.

As he got to the bar, he really felt the nerves kick in. He looked to his hands, which he had folded in front of him. He slowly leaned on the bar, getting close enough that their shoulders just barely missed each other. He still didn’t know what to say. He was hoping his brain would formulate a plan as he approached the bar, but that didn’t seem to have happened.

He glanced up at Klaus. He was smiling to himself and Dave thought he looked so handsome. He could stare at Klaus all day. He suddenly felt hands on him and he looked to his right to see a beautiful girl smiling at him. He smiled back at her as she took his hands. He noticed another girl had pulled Klaus away, but he actually looked happy to join her. Dave’s smile was forced as he thought about the missed opportunity.

Klaus and his girl were already far ahead of them on the dance floor. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded tonight and Dave could pave a path straight towards them so they could at least dance side by side. Klaus was really letting loose this time. If Dave thought his dancing was silly before, he was getting super weird now. All four limbs were flailing wild, but it was still oddly rhythmic. He was getting his hips more into it, too.

The girl had no idea how to react to Klaus other than with a surprised, yet delighted laugh. Klaus shared her laugh. It looked like they were enjoying each other’s company and Dave felt a twinge of jealousy. The girl who pulled him away from the bar was stunning and he felt bad for not having the same level of enthusiasm for her as she clearly had for him. He continued to politely dance with her, but she didn’t miss the frequency of his glances at Klaus.

It only took a song or two before they dissipated and were all more or less dancing alone. The song flowed to one that was actually familiar to Klaus. _Soul Kitchen_ by The Doors. _Yesss,_ he thought to himself. He truly was the definition of dancing like no one was watching. It was like he was the only one on the floor. Or more like he didn’t give a fuck about what anyone else thought.

Except for one.

He knew Dave was somewhere behind him, so he made it a point to stick his butt out more as he swayed to the familiar beat. Of course, Dave was still low-key watching him from the corner of his eye. He looked so cute and goofy and fun and Dave wanted to know everything about him. He started dancing towards him, pretending like he wasn’t paying attention.

He bumped into Klaus, maybe a little too forcefully as he almost knocked him over. But Klaus laughed when he turned around and saw who it was. He brought a fist up and made a little “Why, I outta” motion towards him, but Dave was too busy staring at him to play along with his little joke. Klaus brought his hand down as he noticed the look in Dave’s eyes. He smiled at Klaus, taking him in. His messy hair and beautiful eyes and tan skin. He was too pretty to be here, he thought.

Klaus was staring right back at him. Dave was incredibly handsome and kind and _hot_ and he nearly couldn’t believe he was so intensely interested in him. The way he was looking at Dave was bold and seductive and he didn’t care if that was a safe thing to do here or not. They were staring at each other in the middle of the dance floor and no one, not even the other soldiers, seemed to notice or care for the lights were low and the music was loud and they were warm and drunk and happy. Time seemed to slow. The music was still playing and the club goers were still dancing, but the atmosphere around Klaus and Dave was still.

“You wanna go talk somewhere?” Dave asked.

Klaus nodded slowly. “Yeah,” he said, still feeling like he was in a dream.

Dave lead him to the back of the club near the bathrooms. There was a little nook behind some bead curtains that seemed to be vacant. There were no chairs so they leaned against the wall.

“So, is this how you all survive out here? Ditching camp and getting drunk at discos?”

Dave laughed, “Yeah, something like that. We also pass time by making fun of Trevor.” That made Klaus laugh and Dave joined him. He looked at Klaus’ big green eyes and suddenly all the confidence he seemed to have had on the dance floor dissipated and he was nervous all over again. “So, where you from, Klaus?” Another roaring conversation starter, but it was a question Dave has had since he first laid eyes on him. _Where on earth was this boy from?_

“New York. You?”

“South Dakota,” Klaus suppressed a laugh. “No, you can laugh. Definitely not as glamorous as New York.”

“No, no, it’s not that. We’re just. We’re very different, I think.”

“Hope that’s not a bad thing.”   

“No, not at all.” They shared a smile. Klaus absentmindedly reached for the dog-tag around Dave’s neck and lifted it so he could read it. The gesture made Dave step a little closer to him.

“Katz, David A.,” Klaus read. “You’re Jewish?”

“Yeah, my whole life. You?” He asked as he reached for Klaus’ dog-tag.

“Oh, I’m agnostic, actually,” and oh, shit he hoped that wasn’t a deal breaker for Dave. “But, I mean, I could be. Jewish, I mean.” Dave looked at him and Klaus felt dumb, but at this point, he had to finish his thought. “I’ve never really thought about it before, but I was adopted, so.” He shrugged for his big finish.

“Oh?” Was all Dave said as he studied Klaus’ dog-tag. “Hargreeves, Klaus,…4?”

Oh, right, that. “Ah. Yeah, I don’t have a middle name. _But apparently_ you need one in the military, so I just told them to put a four.”

“Why?”

“That’s my number.”

Dave had no idea what that meant. Maybe it was a lucky number or something, but who knew with Klaus.

“Hey, aren’t you not allowed to kill people?” Klaus asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from himself.

“Yeah, that’s fairly accurate for most religions. And life in general,” Dave teased. Klaus blushed.

“What made you join the army, then, Mr. Katz?”

“I was drafted.”

Klaus’ face fell. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, really,” Dave assured, waving his hand. “What about you, what brought you here?”

Now, that was  a question for the ages. “Oh, thought I’d try my hand in it.”

“You signed up?”

Yeah, let’s go with that. “Yup.”

“Wow, that was very brave of you,” Dave said. He was obviously impressed and it made Klaus swallow thickly. He didn’t like lying to him, but that was going to be difficult to avoid.

“So, I’ve been wondering,” Dave started. He figured now was the best time and he was slightly intoxicated, so he felt brave enough to finally ask: “What’s the story behind your tattoos?”

So much for not lying to Dave. “Oh, um,” he looked down at his hands and the big, bold text running across them. “I just thought it was cool,” he said lamely.

Dave nodded. They were cool tattoos, he supposed. Though he was a little disappointed at the lack of backstory. “What about this?” He asked, gently touching the umbrella on Klaus’ wrist.

Klaus felt safe with Dave, tucked away in this side room away from the night and the rest of the world. He figured, what’s the worst that could happen? He was already risking it all to be here. If things went sideways, if Dave decided he didn’t want to be with him, then he could just grab the briefcase and run. But he’ll never know if he never just opens up to Dave. Obviously, he couldn’t tell him the full truth, but he could do his best.

“It’s a matching tattoo with all my siblings,” he said.

“Oh, really?” Dave asked. He’d never heard of siblings getting tattoos together. “What made you decide to do that?”

Klaus shrugged. “It was something to do.”          

Dave let out a small laugh at that answer. “What about the design?”

He was genuinely interested, which was something Klaus wasn’t used to. It made lying, something he was already bad at, even harder. “It’s, um. It was just… hard for all of us to agree on something. There _are_ seven of us, so.”

Dave looked shocked, but delighted. He remembered Klaus mentioning one of his siblings that morning, his brother Ben. A huge smile spread on his face. “Seven? There are _seven_ of you?”

“Oh, please, there’s only one of me,” Klaus said and that made Dave smile wider.

“Are all of you adopted?”

“Yeah,” Klaus sighed. “Super fun times. What about you? Any siblings?” Dave didn’t miss the quick deflections, but went along with it, not wanting to push anything.

“Yeah, I have two sisters. Molly’s younger and Sabrina’s older.

Klaus immediately thought of a little Dave running around with his two sisters. They would play and laugh and their parents would actually take them out for donuts instead of them having to sneak out for it.

“I have two sisters, too,” was all Klaus said. “Allison and Vanya. The rest are brothers.”

“Okay, I’m gonna guess,” Dave said as he brought a hand up to his temple as if to show he was thinking super hard. “That you’re the middle child.”

Klaus let out a laugh. Oh, God, how was he going to get out of explaining this one? “Oh, uh, we’re actually all around the same age. But, yeah, technically, I’m the middle child.” He used the order of their numbers to come to this conclusion.

Dave did a little one armed cheer when his prediction was correct. “Knew it.” There was a pause as the new information sunk in. “Wait, were you all adopted at the same time?” He asked.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, wow, that was very noble of your parents to take you all in like that.”

Now, normally Klaus would get mad if someone said something like this. But he knew Dave had no idea who his family was and he spoke from a genuine place, so really, he couldn’t be upset with him.

“Yeah, Mom is a sweetheart,” he agreed. “But Dad most definitely was not,” he shook his head as he said the last bit.

Dave didn’t miss the use of past tense. “Oh, shit, I’m so sorry,” he said, bringing his hands up.

“Oh, no, no, it’s okay. The bastard had it coming.”

Dave just looked at him, studying his facial expressions as he thought about his dad. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Thank you.”

Instead, they talked about more pleasant things. Their music tastes, their favorite movies. It was hard for Klaus to think of things that were around in this time period, but he didn’t think Dave noticed him struggling to think of something.

“You’ve seen _The Sound Of Music_?” Klaus asked.

“Of course,” Dave said.

“It’s one of my favorites,” Klaus said with a little smile.

The conversation went on. Dave talked about Hebrew school and this funny old teacher he had. He talked about the adventures him and his school friends would get into, how there were so many things he hid from his parents. Klaus could relate. He told him how his siblings would sneak out all the time. Dave was pleasantly surprised he brought up his family again on his own accord.

“You and your siblings get along?”

Klaus nodded. “Eh, yeah, well enough.” He looked at Dave and there was a sudden flash of pain in his eyes. “They, um, they actually don’t know that I’m here.” He said, as if realizing it for the first time. He spoke it not really to Dave, but more to the air or the walls.

Now, of all the things Klaus has told him in this conversation, that was the most shocking. “Really?” Dave asked, almost not believing it. “What if—“ He cut himself off. Klaus looked at him, pained.

“They wouldn’t know if something happened to me. And honestly, I don’t really think they’d notice, anyway.”

That hurt Dave to hear. It appears life has been very cruel to Klaus. He could see Klaus’ eyes were getting misty. Instinctively, he brought his hand up and cupped Klaus’ face, stroking his thumb along his cheek. Klaus kept his eyes down, but leaned into the touch. He brought a hand up and fiddled with one of the buttons on Dave’s shirt.

“They have no idea who they’re missing,” Dave said, rather boldly. That made Klaus look up at him right as a tear fell. Dave looked into his eyes. He could feel his confidence building before he said, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Okay,” Klaus whispered. And then the hand on his cheek was guiding him forward and Dave tilted his head. A small smile flashed across Dave’s lips as he thought, _finally,_ and captured Klaus’ lips with his.

Klaus’ eyes  stayed open as he wasn’t sure if what  was happening was real. Then he felt Dave’s lips on his and they were soft and warm and he was pretty sure he could feel him smiling. But he also felt something he’d never felt before. A heat in his chest, some pleasant mixture of excitement and comfort. He finally closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned more into Dave. The hand that was playing with Dave’s shirt was now resting flat on his chest and Klaus brought his other hand up to join it.

Dave pulled away to make eye contact with Klaus. “This okay?” He whispered.

“Obviously.” Klaus stuck his tongue out at him and leaned in to kiss him again. Dave sighed and brought his other hand up so he was completely holding Klaus’ face. Klaus’ lips were full and soft and he tasted of bourbon. He felt Klaus’ arms snake around his middle as he stepped forward, making Dave lean more onto the wall. He smiled again, stroking Klaus’ cheeks with his thumbs as he kissed him.

Klaus had no idea how far to take it. If this were at a club back home, he would’ve been on his knees fifteen minutes ago. But this so clearly wasn’t a casual hookup. Klaus decided he should let Dave lead from this point on.

As if on cue, Dave pulled away again and cleared his throat. “We unfortunately should probably stop now.” They were, in fact, still in public. And in an area where any of their troop mates could fine them.

“Yeah.”

But then they both let out breathy laughs and pulled each other in again. Dave brought his hands down, gliding his fingertips along Klaus’ body until he got to his hips. He rested his hands where Klaus’ shirt ends, right where his skin was exposed.

“Don’t be shy,” Klaus cooed between kisses. Dave smirked and slipped his hands under Klaus’ shirt. He spread his fingers out, wanting to touch as much skin as possible. His pinkies even slipped under the waistband of Klaus’ pants. He dug his fingertips in and Klaus made this noise almost as if he meowed. Dave laughed against his lips. This felt good. This felt really good. It felt right. Klaus was practically leaning his entire weight against Dave now and they were both smiling against each other’s lips.

Dave, again, was the one that pulled away, but he made up for it when he said, “I think you’re mighty pretty.”

Klaus completely melted. He giggled and hid his face, which was turning very red, in Dave’s neck. Dave was delighted by this response. He felt lips on his neck and he smiled. Klaus pulled his head up and looked at him. His smile was dopey and his cheeks were pink. He looked adorable.

“I think you’re pretty, too,” he finally said. Dave smiled brightly and kissed him again.

“Sooo, are we getting out of here, or...?” Klaus asked coyly. Dave only chuckled softly as a response.

“You’re cute,” he said.

“What?” Klaus asked, but then he was being pulled by the arm. Curious, he followed Dave back out onto the dance floor and into the fray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept the disco scene the exact same from the show because I thought it was already so perfect and sweet that it didn’t need to be changed or added to.
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina (yes I named Dave’s sister after her lmao). You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization (you’ll see more of that in future chapters). You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Strap in lads because this is going to be a long one.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter two coming soon ~ <3


	2. New Fiends

The next morning’s wakeup call was brutal. The loud horn made the soldiers’ hangovers that much worse. Klaus especially felt like he could throw up at any minute. Sergeant Rosswell didn’t seem to care about the state his boys were in. He went along with the routine inspection and dismissal for their daily rations.

As they moved through the line, Dave got caught up in a conversation with one of the younger guys, who clearly admired him. Klaus could tell Dave was just talking to him out of politeness. Not wanting to intrude, Klaus turned to claim a seat under the same big tree as yesterday. All he really wanted to do was sit down. And maybe get a drink.

He plopped down on the ground, figuring the rest of his crew would join him eventually. But before they did, a man Klaus hadn’t met yet approached him. He crouched down in front of him with a lopsided smile on his face. He looked a bit younger than Klaus and his hair was greasy and flat.

“Hey, there,” the man said in a raspy voice.

“Uh, hi.” He attempted a smile, but his face was stuck in a grimace.

“Roarin’ headache, huh?” The guy asked.

Klaus huffed and nodded his head. “Oh, yeah.”

“Yeah, had one, too.” He side glanced before saying, “If you need something for it, let me know.”

Klaus sat up a little straighter. “Like what?”

The guy huffed a laugh. “Don’t get too excited, it’s just your run-of-the-mill aspirin.”

Klaus nodded subtly. The guy reached in his jacket pocket and produced a small plastic bag, which contained a pill. He flicked it over to Klaus, who barely managed to catch it.

Klaus examined it. It really was just aspirin. He shrugged and swallowed it.

“Thank you,” Klaus sighed.

“No problem.” The guy’s lopsided smile returned, then he stood up and walked away.

“Hey, wait—“ Klaus started to say, but he kept walking.

Klaus felt another presence join him. He looked to his right to see Benny. He sighed a little in relief.

“Hi, Benny,” he said softly.

“Heya, Klaus. How’re you doin’?”

“Good, good. You?”

“Good. I see you’re getting familiar with some of the guys already.”

Klaus didn’t know if he meant the guy he just spoke to or Dave. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Just be careful, alright?” Benny asked. Klaus didn’t quite know what he meant, but he nodded anyway. Benny  gave him a friendly wink.

Clyde chose that moment to join them. He sat cross-legged adjacent to Benny.

“Hey. Hi, Klaus,” he said, not looking up from his food.  

“Hi, Clyde. Where’s Dave?” Klaus asked, he glanced around for said man.

Clyde gestured behind him with his thumb. Klaus looked to see Dave was still talking to the same guy, but it appears a few other boys had joined them.  It took another few minutes before Dave finally walked over to them. He sat down across from Klaus and apologized for taking so long.

“Hey, were those the founding members of your fanclub?” Clyde asked.

Klaus started laughing. Dave took a moment to smile at him before acknowledging Clyde.    

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Oh! Were they were pitching you a movie deal?” Clyde asked.

That made Klaus snort.

“Yeah, that’s a money making face right there,” Benny said as he pointed at Dave.

“Oh, isn’t it, though?” Klaus said, probably a little too dreamily. Dave blushed as the other two men giggled.

“Nu! Moving on,” Dave said, wanting a change in subject.

 

When they were done eating, the troops all dispersed. They only had two days of R&R left and then it was back to the regular rotations. With the inevitable looming over their heads, they all wanted to make the most of the time they had left. A favorite around here was poker. In the large tent, they made a make-shift table and pulled up their chairs and stools.

Of all the wild things Klaus had gotten himself into over the years, gambling was not one of them. He hardly knew how to play Go-Fish, let alone poker. Benny and Dave were trying to explain the rules to him and Klaus was so concentrated that he hardly even noticed the Sergeant’s whistle.

They all groaned, but quickly made their way out of the tent. When everybody was at proper attention, Rosswell told them to relax. 

“Alrighty, boys,” he started. “It appears we got ourselves a shipment of supplies a bit ahead of schedule. These are meant to go to our neighboring camp down north. Now seein’ here that these are your R&R days, I’ll be taking _volunteers_ to help transport and guard the equipment. We’ll most likely be spendin’ the night there and coming back in the morn’.”

“I’ll go,” Trevor said loudly. He stepped forward with a salute. Some of the guys snickered at him. He paid them no mind and kept his back straight.

“Very good,” Rosswell said. “Anyone else?”

When Dave stepped forward, Klaus’ shoulders slumped. He didn’t feel like he was ready for any sort of mission yet. But if Dave wasn’t here at camp, then really, what was the point? With a sigh, he stepped forward as well.

A few more guys volunteered after that, including Dave’s friends, and Rosswell deemed the group large enough.  

The volunteers helped pack up the truck with supplies, mostly just weapons  and food with a few other miscellaneous items. It took an hour or so for them to get rolling and then they all piled onto the bus. All the other guys claimed a bench for themselves, but Dave slid in right next to Klaus. 

“Hey,” he said with a shy smile.

“Hey,” Klaus said back, matching his tone. They smiled at each other then looked away. Dave stared at his hands while Klaus looked out the window.

Klaus was right in his assumption that Dave was the type of guy to take it slow, warzone be damned. But that was okay, they had a lot of fun last night anyway. They danced the night away and had to play parent to the guys that got too wasted. It was the closest thing to a date Klaus had ever experienced. He never even went on a date with the guy he saw for a few weeks. Klaus never really cared, though, he mostly just used the guy for his bed and cooking anyway.

“Your headache gone?” Dave asked, shaking Klaus from his thoughts. Dave was offering him his water bottle.

“Oh, yeah, no, I’m good.” Dave nodded and put his bottle away. “So, are you already over the clubs?” Klaus asked.

“What?”

Klaus raised his eyebrows at him.

“Oh, yeah, no. I volunteered because I knew no one else would unless someone besides Trevor did.”

Klaus snickered. “Ah, well, it worked.”

Dave bumped his shoulder against Klaus’. “Thanks for volunteering with me,” he said.

“Well, why wouldn’t I?” Klaus said, bumping his shoulder back. Their arms stayed like that, touching shoulder to elbow. They were smiling softly at each other.  

Klaus was afraid it would be awkward now, but it was anything but. Dave was somehow still interested in him, judging by the way he was smiling at him. He felt warm and happy despite his nerves.

Klaus then noticed someone was looking at him. It was the guy from this morning. He still didn’t know his name. When he saw Klaus staring back, he looked away. Klaus noticed he had a tattoo of a snake slithering up his arm.

“Hey, who’s that guy across from you?” Klaus whispered.

Dave glanced over to see. When he realized who it was he frowned a little bit. “That’s Nico. Nico Ralph,” Dave whispered when he looked back at Klaus. “I thought I saw you talking to him this morning?”

“Yeah, but he left out his name. He was a little off-putting, but he gave me something for my headache, so.” Klaus shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s his general vibe,” Dave said. He rolled his shoulders. “He’s kind of a dick, but the guys like him because he gets ‘em drugs.”

Dave didn’t know it, but he just planted a mustard seed.

“Oh?” Klaus thought over this new information. “And he doesn’t get in trouble for that?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Dave said. “Sarge is pretty lenient and he knows the pot keeps the guys calm.” He shrugged. “And they’re pretty hush-hush about the other stuff.”

He said it all so matter-of-factly and Klaus was trying to reel it all in.

“Wow, I’m… actually kinda surprised by that,” Klaus laughed.

“Yeah, you’ll find more and more outrageous things that aren’t all that surprising.” Dave was half-serious, half-laughing along with Klaus. “It’s a bit fucked.”  

“Yeah, it is.”

The conversation dropped after that, leaving both of them to their thoughts. Klaus didn’t know if he was relieved or worried that he had outlets here. On the one hand, it took care of the ghost issue. But on the other hand, drugs have ruined everything about his life that his dad didn’t previously destroy.

He didn’t want to fuck this up with Dave, but what was he supposed to do? His headache had faded away, but now a new discomfort made its way into his brain. He knew, even if he tried his best, he would give in to temptation. That’s not even a question. The issue was how it would affect whatever was blossoming with Dave. Could he hide it from him? Probably not. So the real question was: how will he react?

Dave knew he was drinking last night, but no one knew about the pill he took. At least, he didn’t think anyone picked up on that. Maybe Nico did.

In an attempt to ward off his thoughts, Klaus closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off. He eventually got himself curled up against the window using his own arm as a pillow. Dave couldn’t help but glance over at him. His heart fluttered at how sweet and peaceful Klaus looked. He looked like he belonged anywhere else but here. Dave wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around Klaus and protect him.

Dave started to wonder more about where Klaus came from. He thought of trivial things like if he had his own room growing up or if he shared it with one of his siblings. Maybe he shared with Ben. He wondered what his favorite cereal was. If he liked his room hot or cold. How many pillows he slept with. How he spent his Saturdays. He wondered about the matching tattoos and whose idea it was to get them.

He thought about Klaus’ father and if he and his siblings banded together when he was being an asshole or if they left each other to their own devices. He wondered about Klaus’ mom, who he said was a sweetheart, and if she comforted him when he was sad and lonely.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the bus made a sudden stop. Out the window, he saw they had stopped at a gas station.

“Pit stop, boys,” Rosswell announced. There were a few mock cheers, but they were relieved to not be sitting anymore. The other men unfolded themselves and made their way off the bus

Dave reached over and gently shook Klaus’ shoulder. He blinked rapidly as he woke up. Feeling confused, he glanced around the now empty bus and then at Dave.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Dave said, smiling at the cute scene in front of him. “We’re taking a pit stop.”

“Oh, okay,” Klaus said, not fully conscious yet.  

It felt nice to stand again, especially after being curled up for a good hour. Everyone went inside the gas station for a bathroom break and the air conditioning was very welcomed after being in the sticky heat of the bus. Klaus strolled through the aisles for a bit, taking in the variety of candies he had never seen before.  All too soon, he heard Rosswell whistle for everyone to get back on the bus.   

They were still a long way out and moral was running low. Clyde started to softly sing to himself in Spanish. He got louder when Benny joined him. The others smiled amusedly, even though they didn’t know the song. Clyde and Benny actually weren’t awful singers and they proudly sang the upbeat tune. The rest cheered playfully when the pair finished.

“Is there one we all know?” Trevor asked.

“I’m partial to The Doors,” Dave spoke. He was met with murmurs of agreement. Benny started to sing _Alabama Song_ and they all joined in at random. Klaus enthusiastically provided the circus music, making Dave and the others laugh. They snickered when they couldn’t remember the words at one point. They quickly all faded out and started laughing. It was established that Clyde and Benny were the only gifted singers of the group.

 

When they finally got to their neighboring camp, it was in the early evening, when the heat and humidity was felt the most. Klaus’ cravings were getting bad now. His fingers were twitching and he was starting to feel clammy.

They chatted with the other soldiers stationed there while getting to work unloading the truck. The thick air made the simple task of unloading the supplies quite daunting, but at least there were more people to help this time. Klaus was still struggling, though. He had good muscle tone but he wasn’t nearly as strong as his other counterparts. It didn’t help that he was feeling so tired and dope sick.  

He felt a few eyes on him as he unceremoniously threw a bag down. He was starting to get performance anxiety, which was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Leftover feelings of being closely monitored and compared to those around him started to spill over. He didn’t want to know how he would feel during the actual grueling shit.

With a heavy sigh, he kept working. Lift. Swing. Lift. Swing. Down the line. He knew he was being watched and judged by people who didn’t know him, but he was used to that feeling. He had a pretty good idea of what they were thinking. _Who’s this scrawny guy?_ He imagined them saying. _Looks like a fairy to me._  

He felt his anxiety peaking, but before a proper attack could strike him, steady hands grabbed the bag from his and heaved it over to its next destination.

“Looked like you needed some help,” Dave spoke low to him. He looked at Klaus through his eyelashes and Klaus thought he looked nervous. Like he was afraid he offended him or something.

“Yeah, thank you,” Klaus said. His hands started to properly sweat now, which didn’t help the situation. Thankfully, they were almost done.

When the last of the bags were unpacked, Klaus brushed his hands off and sighed.

“So, what, do we just sit around a campfire and sing more songs now?” He joked.

Dave laughed in response. “Well, we do have downtime now, so, yeah, sort of.” Klaus shot his eyebrows up. “I mean, there probably _won’t_ be singing.”

“Oh, but our performance on the bus was so eloquent,” Klaus said, lifting his arm in a dramatic flair.

“Agreed,” Dave laughed. “Oh, also no fires. Don’t want to attract anyone. Or anything.”

 

It was dinner time now,  so everyone from both troops congregated at the center of the camp. The group from Klaus’ troop stayed seated close together. It really did seem like they were sitting around a campfire with no fire.

Klaus sat down on a fallen log towards the edge of the group. He shouldn’t have been surprised when Dave sat next to him, but he was. He scooted closer to Klaus, despite there being more room on the log. Klaus nudged him with his elbow and Dave nudged back. A wordless exchange of greetings.

There was already sufficient overlapping chatter and Klaus took this moment to people-watch. He observed the men from the other troop. How some seemed alright, they laughed and looked almost cheerful. While others looked like they checked out a long time ago. They had dark, hollow, and empty eyes. Klaus wondered which version he would turn into. Or perhaps which one he already was.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Klaus noticed Dave was quietly speaking to himself, which he had seen him do before. He got curious. “Wh-what are you doing?” he asked.  

But before Dave could answer, Nico said, a bit too loudly, “Ain’t that a Jew thing?” He spoke with his crooked smile.

Dave eyes widened and he glanced over to make note of who turned their head at the outburst. Klaus felt his fists ball up. If this guy said anything rude about Dave, he was ready to fight. Army brotherhood be damned.

But Dave, who was way too patient for his own good, just slowly said, “Yes. It is.” He turned to Klaus and spoke quietly, just to him. “It’s called a bracha. You say it before you eat, like a blessing,”  he explained.

“That’s very kind of you to consider this food good enough to bless,” Klaus responded. That made Dave laugh hard and Klaus smiled proudly to himself.

The rest of the evening was pleasant enough. The guys from either troops told stories of home, of their girlfriends and their families. Those who were more seasoned told stories from times before the younger guys joined the troop. Benny told of how he proposed to Sophie.

“We were visiting my abuelos in Puerto Rico. I had just taken her out to dinner, fancy place, nice view of the ocean, all that. We went out for a walk after and I proposed to her then.”

“You proposed and then immediately joined the army? Damn, that’s cold,” one guy commented.

“I had to,” Benny said. “We needed the money.”

Klaus felt sympathetic. He didn’t know the full story, but he couldn’t imagine being desperate enough for money that he’s driven to join the army. Even with his colorful history.

“If you’re from Puerto Rico, how are you in the US army?” Another guy asked.

“Because I’m not _from_ Puerto Rico,” he said simply. “If you must know, I was born in the states. As were my parents.”

“Huh,” was all the man said in response.

They heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Rosswell walking towards them. He was carrying with him some duffle bags. He plopped them down on the dirt.

“Lookie here at what our pals were so nice to offer us,” he said. He was met with mock whoops. The bags contained two-people tents and, judging from the conditions of the bags, they were very well-used. The others weren’t very enthusiastic about them, but Klaus was suddenly _very_ grateful that he and Dave had volunteered for this trip. They caught each other’s eye and grinned.

“Alrighty, boys, get to settin’ up while you still got light out.” And with that, Rosswell disappeared into one of the larger tents.  

The group paired off much like students would for a project. Clyde literally grabbed Benny’s arm and said “Dibs.” And because he did it, Klaus felt like he could do the same with Dave. And so he did. Dave blushed as Klaus’ soft hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Alright, looks like you’re with me, beanpole,” Nico said with mock excitement.  He threw an arm around Trevor’s neck, who groaned dramatically before picking up a tent bag.

Dave and Klaus set their tent up a little further away from the other two, but not enough that it was obvious.

“You ever pitched a tent before, city boy?” Dave asked, assembling one of the poles.

“No. I don’t even know what you’re doing, it’s like magic?” Dave laughed at the sarcasm, but Klaus was only half joking. They got the tent up soon enough, with Klaus helping as much as he could. He felt like some guys were silently watching him again, but he tried not to dwell on it this time. At least he was looking silly _with_ someone this time.

“Hey, we never got to play our poker game,” Clyde said when all the tents were up.

“You brought a deck?” Benny asked.

“Hell yeah, baby.”

They sat in a round and Clyde dealt out the cards. Klaus still didn’t really know how to play, so he opted to just watch this round. He sat with his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them. Clyde and Nico each pulled out a flask and offered drinks to everyone, which Klaus took graciously. He didn’t want to get drunk, really. He just wanted enough to make the ache in his muscles subside.

It didn’t take long for them to get loud and rowdy. Trevor won three times in a row and Clyde threw his cards into the center.

“Bullshit! That’s bullshit!” He called, sending the others into boisterous laughter. They weren’t even playing with money.

Nico, surprisingly, was the one to pick up the thrown cards. He organized them in his hands as he spoke, “Alright, Benny told about his girl. Who else wants to share?” He looked around the circle. “Dave? You gotta have a girl back home, handsome devil you are,” he teased. Klaus breathed a quiet laugh to himself.

Dave smiled politely and shook his head. “No, don’t have a girl. You?”

“What, me? Nah. Ladies love this cool cat, but I don’t pin ‘em down.”

“Don’t or can’t?” Benny asked, making the others snicker.   

“I have a girlfriend,” Trevor spoke as he raised his hand.

“Good for you,” Nico said. “Anyone else?”  

Trevor frowned as he lowered his hand. Dave gently bumped his shoulder with his fist. “Hey, tell me about her later, ‘kay?” He whispered. Trevor smiled and nodded. The others didn’t notice the small exchange, but Klaus did. He smiled at the kind man next to him.

“What about you, pretty boy?”

Klaus turned to see Nico looking at him. “Me?” He asked, pointing at himself. “No. No one back home.” That made Dave smile to himself.

“Yeah, you seem like a heartbreaker,” Nico commented. Both Dave and Klaus looked at him with their eyebrows furrowed together.

“Alright, subject change,” Clyde said. “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” He thought for a moment before adding, “ _Before_ you got into the army.”

The men looked pensive as they thought over the question, some even brought their hands to their chins.

“I walked a hike barefoot before.”

“That’s lame, Trevor,” Clyde said.

“Once my buddy set his backyard table on fire, so I got on the roof of his shed and did a front flip over it. Landed perfectly.” Nico proudly puffed his chest at his own memory.

“Well, that’s something else,” Clyde said. “What about you, Dave?”

“Ohh, I never really got into too much trouble,” he said with a dismissive wave. He was met with various noises of disbelief. “Alright, alright, umm… Oh, I shot a BB gun in a house when I was like… twelve?”

“You shot a gun _in your house?”_ Klaus asked, genuinely surprised.

“It was my friend’s house,” Dave defended himself, holding up a finger. “And no one got hurt.”

“That’s real cute, Dave,” Nico said.

“One time,” Benny started. “I was in the seventh grade and this guy was harassing my friend. She was a girl and he was calling her names and shit. And I got so mad that I called his ass to a fight one day after school.”

He got a few resounding, _“Ooohhh’s.”_

“And I beat the shit out of him.” They all laughed. “I was _eleven._ I got a three day suspension plastered on my permanent record. Momma was _pissed,_ but, hey, I had to protect my friend.” He finished with a shrug.

“Right on,” Clyde and Klaus said simultaneously. 

“What about you, Klaus?” Benny asked.

Klaus thought for a moment. What crazy thing _hasn’t_ he done? He couldn’t exactly say, _Oh, well, when I was ten, my siblings and I stopped a man from destroying the Eiffel Tower._ He tried to think of his most normal crazy story.

“Hmmm. Oh!” He exclaimed as he remembered something. “I once accidently joined the circus for a week. That was _weird_.”

He was met with varying looks of concern/disbelief. Dave’s mouth hung ajar.

“What…?” Nico said.

“ _How do you accidentally join a circus?”_ Trevor asked.

“Oh, it was easy. I dressed up as one of the animal tamers, which wasn’t very different from my normal clothes, mind you, and then snuck into the tent. Really, I just wanted to ride the elephants.”

“How’d you stay, then?” Benny asked, intrigued.

“I guess they liked my charisma,” Klaus said. Dave laughed to himself.

“And how’d you leave?” Trevor asked.

“They left town,” he answered with a shrug. The whole group laughed in delight.   

“You’re one crazy motherfucker,” Nico said, pointing a finger at him. “I like you.” Klaus felt a strange mix of anxiety and a twinge of excitement at that sentiment.

At this point, the card game was all but abandoned. They went on like that for a while, swapping stories. Klaus was having a genuinely good time. The air was warm and thick. Sounds of nature were around him, creating a pleasant chorus. The sun had just gone down and there was a purple hue to everything, making the landscape and trees around them look like they lived in a painting. He had almost forgotten about where he was and what was to come.

That is, until Nico asked, with his hands folded together in mischief, “So, anyone have any good ghost stories?” He wiggled his fingers and made an _Oooo_ sound.

The color drained from Klaus’ face and he felt his muscles go stiff. Oh, he had some ghost stories, alright. They’d knock your fucking socks off.

Benny was speaking now, but Klaus was hardly paying attention. He was talking about how his house was haunted growing up, or maybe it was his neighbor’s home. He felt his stomach twist at the poor account of Benny’s ghost experience. He had no idea what they were actually like.

“My friend claims he saw a ghost once,” Dave piped up. “I’m actually a little jealous.”

And that marked the end of the night for Klaus. Really, he couldn’t be upset with these guys, Dave included. He sometimes forgets how ordinary people talk about ghosts. How they get giddy and excited at the thought. He figured it was best for him to just exit the conversation. 

“Hey! Sorry to interrupt but, uh, I think I’m gonna hit the hay now,” He said. He unceremoniously stood up and made his way to the tent, stumbling a bit. Dave watched him leave with concern.

“Aww, someone scared of a little ghost?” Nico called. Klaus just waved him off and crawled into the tent. 

It didn’t take long at all for Dave to join him. “Hey, you alright?” He asked as he got into the tent.  

Klaus nodded. “Yeah, just… just tired.” He sounded tired, too. He was laying back on his sleeping mat and propping himself up on his elbow. His boots and jacket were already off. Despite being tired, he was feeling a lot better overall.

Dave nodded as he zipped up the tent door. He peeled off his vest and started unlacing his boots.

“They still out there?” Klaus asked.

“Nah, they went to bed, too.” Dave paused and said, “They can be a bit much sometimes, I know.” He was mostly talking about Nico. Though Clyde could be too much for him, too. Except he actually liked Clyde.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dave asked, sitting back on his sleeping mat.

“Yeah, yeah,” Klaus said too quickly. Dave just looked at him. “I mean, I suppose I am… _fearful_ of the dead. I don’t know, I just didn’t wanna listen to all that—“

“—Hey, Klaus, it’s okay,” Dave said. Klaus peaked up at him and nodded, but he hardly looked convinced.

It was silent for a brief moment. The two men just laid there, facing each other.

“Soooo,” Klaus said. A smile started to grow on his face.

“Sooo?” Dave repeated, returning the smile. Klaus scooted a bit closer to him and leaned in. He paused to make eye contact, then quickly closed the distance. Dave let out a small, surprised laugh. He brought a hand to Klaus’ face and stroked his cheek with this thumb. But then he pulled away.

“Hey, so, I don’t take this kind of stuff lightly,” Dave told him.

“I figured, especially after last night,” Klaus said. “Is, um, is it okay now?”

Dave chuckled. “Yeah, it’s okay. I just wanted to tell you that.” And then he leaned back in.

Klaus sighed when their lips met. Ever since last night all he’s wanted to do was kiss Dave again. He tugged at the fabric of Dave’s shirt, making him scoot closer, and deepened the kiss. The hand on Klaus’ cheek made its way down to his hip and gave him a squeeze.

Klaus moaned into Dave’s mouth as he swung a leg over Dave’s thighs. He hooked his ankle around Dave’s knee and pulled him even closer. Dave chuckled, pulled away a little, and put a finger to his lips. “We have to be quiet,” he whispered.

“Nah,” Klaus said and leaned back in.

“Ye—,” he was cut off by Klaus’ lips on his. He didn’t care, though. He smiled at the feeling of Klaus’ soft lips. The weight of his leg across his thighs.

Dave found he was being pushed back. He gave no resistance to the hand Klaus had firmly pressed on his chest. They giggled as Klaus straddled him and continued kissing him.

“Watch our silhouettes,” Dave said against Klaus’ mouth.

“You done this before, private?” Klaus asked, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“No, I’m just saying.”

Klaus gave a hum and continued kissing him. He felt Dave’s big hands squeeze his thighs and anchor him in place. His mouth was soft and inviting. Even in this thick humidity, the heat radiating off of Dave’s body was very much welcomed.

Klaus leaned back only to take his shirt off. He took it off the way most girls do, with his arms crossed over each other. Dave watched, completely mesmerized. Klaus smirked as he flung the shirt into a corner. Klaus’ muscles were surprisingly well-defined, he even had a hint of abs long his stomach. Dave brought a hand up and slowly glided it along Klaus’ torso, not missing his gasp when he graced over his nipples.

“You’re so sexy,” Dave murmured.

“Why, thank you,” Klaus said. “You’re not so bad yourself.” He tugged at the bottom of Dave’s shirt. “May I?”

Dave nodded breathlessly and Klaus started to peel his shirt off. They laughed when it got caught up around his head. When it was finally off, Klaus kissed him, then sat back to admire the view. He saw Dave shirtless before, oh so briefly, but he wasn’t able to enjoy it. Dave was _ripped._ Even in the dim light filtering through the canvas, Klaus could see that.

“Oh, fuck,” Klaus whispered. He brought his hands up and slowly glided them along Dave’s abdomen, feeling the dips and curves of his muscles. Dave was smiling at him and Klaus could feel himself getting hard.

Feeling bold, he dipped down to lick a stripe up Dave’s abs. He felt Dave gasp when his tongue made contact with his skin. He kept eye contact as he licked up to Dave’s chest. He felt the muscles under his tongue contract and release as Dave reacted to the sensation and sight. Klaus made his way up to Dave’s neck and planted a few opened mouth kisses there.

“ _Oh, my God,”_ Dave moaned in a surprised laugh.

“Shhh, you have to be quiet,” Klaus mocked before planting a kiss on Dave’s lips. “But, really, was that too much?”

“ _No!_ No,” he cleared his throat. “No, that was. Good.”

Klaus laughed out an, “Okay,” before licking into Dave’s mouth.

Dave brought a hand up to Klaus’ hair while his other hand tightened its grip on Klaus’ hip. Klaus smiled and wiggled his hips, grinding down onto Dave. He suppressed a moan and Klaus could feel Dave getting hard underneath him. He slid a hand down Dave’s body, gripped his belt, and jiggled it.  

“Yeah,” Dave agreed with a quick nod.

Klaus undid Dave’s buckle and they worked together to peel his pants off. Then Klaus took the liberty of taking his own off. It was a bit awkward in the cramped tent. They laughed into each other when Klaus struggled to get one pant leg off, shaking his ankle about. Dave got it off with a final tug. Still laughing quietly, he cupped Klaus’ face and gave him a quick, sweet kiss.

“So cute,” Dave murmured. He stroked Klaus’ cheek with his thumb. Klaus sighed. He’d never done foreplay like this before. He was used to going straight to it with some random from the club or someone he wanted drugs from. This was so different and Klaus loved it. He felt warm and safe, despite the setting.

Dave started kissing along his jaw and down his neck. Klaus’ head fell back a little as Dave started sucking on the sensitive skin.

“You’re gonna leave a mark, Mr. Katz,” Klaus warned.

“What if I want to?” Dave mumbled low against his neck. To further his point, he gave a little nip, making Klaus gasp.

“ _God,_ I need…” Klaus trailed off, opting to use physicality. He pushed Dave back down on his back and got on top of him again. This time, Dave had a good view of all of Klaus’ body. His legs were muscular, too. His skin, soft and tan, seemed to glow in the low light. He looked down at Dave with his striking green eyes.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Dave said. This wasn’t the first time Klaus had heard this, but it was the first time he truly believed the other person. He leaned down and kissed Dave, smiling against his lips. Klaus tried sliding his own underwear off while kissing him, but it didn’t work very well. With a chuckle, he readjusted the way he was sitting and kicked his underwear off. He looked back down to see Dave staring at him.

“Like what you see?” Klaus teased, trying to hide his sudden blush.

“Even your dick is pretty,” Dave sighed. He wondered if that was a weird thing to say, but found it probably didn’t matter with Klaus.

Klaus snorted a laugh. That was also something he’d heard before, but it was sweet and funny coming from Dave. “Well, I showed you mine, now you show me yours,” he teased. His fingers skittered down Dave’s torso to his waistband.

Dave nodded, a little speechless. He had never been this nervous to be naked in front of someone before. He lifted his hips so it was easier for Klaus to slide his underwear off. Klaus then left a trail of kisses up Dave’s thighs, who smiled and blushed at the gesture.

“You have a pretty cock, too,” Klaus said. He licked his palm and took it in his hand. Dave moaned quietly.

 “ _God,_ Klaus,” he said. He brought his hand to Klaus’ hair. Klaus started giving long, slow licks along Dave’s cock. Dave could feel Klaus’ hot breath against him.   

“You can pull on my hair if you want,” Klaus said with a smile.

Dave smirked a little. “Okay.” He tightened his grip in Klaus’ hair and gave a playful tug. Klaus laughed in delight. He’d rather him be a little rougher, but this was fine for now. He gave Dave a wink before wrapping his lips fully around his dick. Dave let out a sharp gasp.

Klaus’ mouth felt _amazing._ It was soft and warm, and the way he rolled his tongue made Dave’s thighs twitch. “ _Klaus,”_ he whined. If he wasn’t careful, he would come too soon. With the hand he had in his hair, he pulled Klaus off of him. Klaus gasped with a light laugh.

“Something wrong?” he asked innocently.

“Think you know,” Dave said. He propped himself up on his elbow so he could get a better look at Klaus. They smiled softly at each other for a moment. Then Klaus kissed the head of Dave’s dick and it was so cute and sexy that Dave had to hide his face for a moment.  

“You’re unbelievable,” Dave laughed.

“So I’ve been told,” Klaus said.

“C’mere,” Dave said, motioning with his fingers. Klaus smiled and crawled up to Dave’s lips. He kissed him while still working Dave’s dick in his hand. Dave reached down to return the favor. His large hand was warm and surprisingly soft. Klaus moaned lightly into Dave’s mouth.

“I want you inside me,” Klaus whispered.

“Fuck,” Dave sighed. “I’d love that, baby, but I don’t have anything with me.”

Klaus looked at him, slightly caught off-guard by Dave calling him “baby.” Then he exclaimed, “Oh! Actually…” He trailed off as he crawled towards wherever his pants ended up. “Ta-da!” He triumphantly presented a bottle of lube.

Dave laughed. “Where did you even get that?”

“I stole it from the gas station,” Klaus answered simply.

“Oh, of course.”

“Mm, hold on, got something else, too,” Klaus said, rummaging through his pockets.  

“Wow, you’re a common little thief, huh?” Dave teased. Klaus shot him a wink, then he produced a packet of condoms. “Oh, good, you use those, too.”

Klaus looked at him, confused. “Well, yeah?”

“It’s just—I’ve, uh, been with guys who didn’t.”

This perplexed Klaus as he stared at Dave for what was probably too long. Then it hit him: the AIDS crisis hadn’t happened yet.

“Oh! Yeah, me, too. But it’s good to use ‘em, I think.”

“I agree. Now come back over here,” Dave said motioning with his head. Klaus smiled and made his way back over to Dave, giving him a quick kiss. He ripped a condom open and rolled it onto him.

“I figured you were on the larger side,” Klaus said with a wink. Dave laughed and blushed. Klaus then dripped some lube onto Dave’s cock and got back on top of him. He had to lean all the way forward to hide their shadows, but this made it easier to kiss him. He reached down to line up Dave’s cock with his hole. It took a few tries and he needed to add more lube, but he was able to get it in smoothly. They both gasped as Klaus sunk back slow.

“ _Oh_ , holy fuck, you’re big,” Klaus groaned. Dave kissed him in response, his hands steady on Klaus’ hips. Klaus started to move slowly.

“You feel so good, baby,” Dave moaned softly as he kept kissing him. Klaus blushed, more at the petname than anything else.

Dave’s fingers found their way back to Klaus’ hair and he gave another experimental tug. Klaus laughed in surprise at the sharp sensation. He started rolling his hips, but kept the pace the same.  He usually distained slow sex, but this was way different. This was sweet and soft and with someone he actually cared about. And cared about him.

Kissing during sex was also new to him and he liked it. A lot. It also helped with suppressing the moans. Which was getting harder to do as he moved a little faster.  He knew he couldn’t get too crazy in fear of their neighbors hearing them. Dave shifted so he could hold Klaus’ hips up and give him a break. He thrusted into him, keeping the same rhythm. The new angle hit Klaus differently and he had to bite down onto Dave’s shoulder to keep quiet, leaving a distinct mark.

“ _Mmn_ , so good, so good,” Klaus breathed. Dave kissed along the side of Klaus’ face, down to the hinge of his jaw. His strong arms tightened around Klaus’ waist, holding him steady. The timing was unfortunate because Klaus’ leg started to cramp up.  

“Mm, wait, wait, wait,” Klaus spoke quickly. “Leg cramp, leg cramp.”

“Sorry,” Dave said with a light laugh. Klaus had to hold still for a moment to let the pain subside.

“Okay, let’s do this way,” Klaus conducted. He slowly let himself off of Dave and rolled to the side, flopping a little bit. Dave giggled as he leaned over Klaus and kissed him.

“So cute,” he said. Klaus kissed him back, then turned so his back was to Dave. He got the idea and lined himself back up with Klaus. This was a more discrete position anyway.

“You have a cute little butt, too,” Dave said, smiling. Klaus laughed as Dave slipped back in.  Dave moved inside Klaus all while wrapping him up in his arms. Klaus found himself completely surrounded by Dave and he had never felt safer in his life. They found their rhythm again and got lost in each other.

Dave kept kissing into Klaus’ hair or on his cheek or along the shell of his ear. Klaus had to start suppressing his giggles along with his moans.

“Shhh,” Dave said softly into Klaus’ ear, who smirked. He started rolling his hips with more fluidity, fucking himself onto Dave. Now it was Dave’s turn to bite into Klaus’ shoulder, but he wasn’t as harsh with it. He growled out a low moan.

“Now who has to be quiet?” Klaus teased. He giggled when Dave tightened his grip on him in response. “I actually like that,” Klaus said with a breathy laugh.

Dave laughed and shook his head. “Of course you do.”

“Can you hold me tighter, actually?” Klaus asked.

Now that was something Dave could absolutely do. He smiled and kissed Klaus’ cheek. “Okay.”

He only tightened his grip a little bit more, not wanting to hurt Klaus. One arm was wrapped around his shoulders, the other around his waist. He continued kissing Klaus’ ear as he sped up his rhythm. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, but that task was proving to be difficult.   

Klaus was holding onto Dave’s arms. His finger nails dug into Dave’s skin.

“That hurt?” Klaus asked.

“A little, but it’s okay.”

Klaus looked back at him with a smile and Dave leaned forward to kiss him. It was a little sloppy, and he missed the mark a bit, but it was still nice. Then Klaus adjusted so Dave was hitting at a different angle. He moaned and had to put his fist in his mouth to muffle it.  

“I’m so close,” Klaus whispered.

“Mmm, me too,” Dave sighed into Klaus’ hair.

Dave changed his pace to be slower but harder. He was hitting at just the right angle and it only took a few more  thrusts for Klaus to come  His vision went blurry for a moment and his thigh muscles twitched as he orgasmed. Dave groaned at the feeling of Klaus squirming in his arms.

“You can keep going,” Klaus breathed.

“You sure?” Dave asked.

“Yeah,” Klaus nodded. He reached behind him and dug his fingers in Dave’s hair, pulling a little. His movements helped Klaus ride out his orgasm. It didn’t take much longer for Dave to come too. He kissed along Klaus’ neck and shoulder as his muscles shook.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so good,” Dave whispered his praise. He rolled Klaus onto his back so he could kiss him proper. Klaus smiled into the kiss, bringing a hand up to Dave’s cheek. They were both totally spent, but they knew they at least had to put their underwear and pants back on. Then they took turns going out to pee, not wanting to look suspicious. As they settled back into the tent, Klaus traced his fingers along the surface of his sleeping mat.

 “Um, do you like to cuddle?” Klaus asked with a slight nerve in his voice. He was a very tactile person himself, but he didn’t want to assume the same for Dave.

“Yes, absolutely,” Dave said. Klaus sighed in relief. They pushed their sleeping mats together and  curled up into each other.

“Hey,” Dave said after a moment. He gave a little pat where his hand rested low on Klaus’ hip.

Klaus looked up at him. “Hey.” He sat back up and gave Dave a kiss. Dave squeezed his waist.

“You’re so pretty,” Dave said, making Klaus giggle.

“Well, you’re quite handsome,” Klaus said matter-of-factly. Dave leaned up and kissed him again.

“I’m glad we did this,” Dave said, giving Klaus another squeeze. Klaus’ face broke out into a grin.

“Yeah, me too,” he said.  He leaned down and kissed him again, but this time he stayed there. He brought a hand to Dave’s hair and gently played with it. Dave moved his hand so it rested on Klaus’ butt. He discovered it’s not only cute, but also very holdable.

“You’re cute,” Dave said between kisses. “We gotta sleep.”

Klaus pouted. “I suppose,” he said. He laid back down on Dave’s chest, throwing an arm around his torso and a leg across his lap.

Dave loved the feeling of having Klaus so wrapped up around him. He slid his arm up so it was more around Klaus’ shoulders. “Goodnight, Klaus,” he whispered.

“G’night, Dave,” Klaus said with a drowsy voice. He nuzzled his face more into Dave’s chest. Dave pressed a kiss to Klaus’ hair and then closed his eyes for the best night’s sleep he’s gotten since arriving in Vietnam.

 

It didn’t take them long to leave the camp in the morning, considering they didn’t have a lot to pack back up. They hunkered down in the bus, getting ready for the long drive back. They were all still talkative the first part of the ride, but their excitement soon turned to nerves. They knew tomorrow it would be back to business. Back out into the jungle battlefield. They were doing their best to ignore it, but it loomed darker over their heads as the distance to their camp grew shorter.

Dave noticed Klaus was sitting a little stiffer. His eyes were wide as he zoned out. He nudged him with his elbow.

“Hey, where’d you go?” He asked gently.

Klaus shook his head slowly. “Nowhere, I… just nervous, is all.”

Dave nodded. “Understandable. But you got me. Got us,” he motioned to the others on the bus, though they weren’t listening to their conversation. “We’ll protect you, yeah? And you’ll protect us.”

Klaus snorted a little. “I’m not sure if I can hold up my end of that bargain.”

“Sure you will,” Dave said. Klaus turned to look at him. “You’ll pick it up and you’ll be fine. I know it.” Dave was being so optimistic for both his and Klaus’ sake.  

Dave’s words made Klaus feel a little more confident in himself. Besides, he grew up fighting, didn’t he? Obviously this was on a whole other level, but if there was one useful thing his father taught him, it was how to adapt.

“Thank you,” Klaus said. Dave smiled and pressed his knee up against Klaus’. In return, Klaus hooked his ankle around Dave’s, not caring if someone noticed. Their feet were under the seat, anyway.

They rode in comfortable silence. Klaus looked out the window to his right, daydreaming as he watched the greenery speed by. It was gorgeous here, truly. It was strange to think that so much blood and gore stained this beautiful landscape.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt gentle fingers tugging at his hand. Dave didn’t try to hold his hand like he expected. Instead he turned it over and started slowly tracing the “Good Bye” tattooed on his palm. There was a peaceful smile on his face while he did so.

It was such a gentle and intimate gesture that Klaus did not know what to do or say. He just blushed and smiled and let Dave continue tracing his tattoos.

 

There was a surreal feeling in the air as they arrived back at their camp. What were they supposed to do for the next few hours, besides lie and wait for their fate of tomorrow? Klaus sat on his bunk, his fingers twitched as he examined his rifle. He mentally went through everything that Dave had taught him a few days prior. He knew he was in for it. He didn’t go through basic training like everybody else, but of course he couldn’t tell anyone that. At least he had the training his dad gave him. Maybe something good will come from all of that after all.

Dave was lounging on his bunk next to Klaus, reading a book. He had reading glasses on and he looked adorable in them. Klaus turned his head to the side so he could see what book he was reading. To his surprise, it was one he was actually familiar with. _To Kill A Mockingbird._ Dave noticed him looking.

“You read it?” He asked.

Klaus nodded. “Yeah, of course. We still read it in school.” He cringed as he realized what he just said. Dave furrowed his eyebrows together.

“You read it in school? Where’d you go?”

Klaus froze. He was so bad at lying, especially on the spot. “Oh, some uh, boarding school. An Academy.” He nodded unconvincingly.

“Huh,” was all Dave said before going back to reading.

Out of the corner of his eye, Klaus saw Nico exit the big tent. His hands had been fidgeting for the past ten minutes.  

“Hey, I’m gonna go pee,” he told Dave, who nodded in acknowledgement. Klaus swung his legs off his bunk and quickly walked towards the tent door.

When Benny saw Dave was alone, he made his way over to him. He sat down on Klaus’ bunk.

“Hey, how you doin’, Katz?” He asked.

“I’m doing fine,” he said with a little smile. “And yourself?”

“Good, I’m good.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked serious as he collected his thoughts. “Look, Dave, I’m not going to beat around the bush.” Dave looked up at him. “I know you’re getting close with the new guy.”

Dave put his book down. “What do you mean?”

Benny sighed. “You know what I mean.”

Dave’s eyes went wide. He swung his legs to the floor to sit normally. “Wait, d-did you hear-?” He stammered. “Last night?”

Benny looked at him suspiciously. “Hear what?”

“Nothing,” He said too quickly.

Benny shook his head. “Listen, I don’t wanna know what you did last night. I’m talkin’ to you about this because I see the way you look at him.”

Dave just stared at Benny.

“And the way he looks at you, I might add.” His face was serious, but his eyes seemed to be grinning. “You two weren’t very subtle at the disco.”

Dave barely suppressed a smile. “O-okay, then. What is it you wanted to say?”

Benny took a breath. “I’m not gonna tell you what to do.”

“Okay.”

Benny paused and looked at him for a moment. He continued, “But I just wanted to say… Forming attachments? In here?” He looked away and pursed his lips. “It’s tricky.” He looked back up at Dave. “And it can get ugly.”  

Dave was nodding. “Yeah, no, I understand that. Of course…. But, uh,” He couldn’t help but let his smile free as he thought of Klaus. “I think I’m too far gone.”

 

Nico was relieving himself by the edge of the trees. He heard footsteps walk up behind him. When he finished zipping up, he turned around to see who it was.

“Oh, hey, Klaus,” he said as his sideways grin returned.

Klaus stood there rather sheepishly. His hands were held in loose fists. “Hi, Nico,” he said.

“Come to see me?”

“Something like that, yeah,” he looked down at his hands and poked at his palms.

Nico watched him. He cocked his head and chuckled. “What do you need, Klaus?” He asked.

Klaus stared at his hands a moment longer before looking up at him. He sighed deeply.

“What kind of pills do you have?" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why, yes, I did put the "They Have To Share A Bed" trope in a story about the Vietnam War. 
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization (the bracha joke is hers, from her fic J is for Jewish). You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter three coming soon ~ <3


	3. One Small Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't claim to fully know nor understand anything that the actual soldiers in Vietnam went through on a daily basis. I did my best with research and intuition. Hopefully it isn't too offensive and true enough to real life. Thank you.

Black birds circled high in the sky above the tree tops. The humid air held a tangible mass as their feathers cut through it. Below the trees, a group of soldiers marched through the thick foliage of the jungle floor. Donned in their camouflaged armor and their guns in hand, they stayed alert. Ready for action.

They walked no more than two men wide. Their boots moved in careful, quiet strides, only landing in the soft moss that lined the ground. Their shoulders were strung up high as they dared not even breathe too loudly. They knew that with each step, they could walk straight into the range of a sniper in the trees, or a booby-trap, or an ambush. The constant anxiety was already messing with some of them. Heads would whip around at any odd sound, though it was usually just a bird or woodland creature.

Only one didn’t seem as anxious as the rest. Klaus had taken one of Nico’s pills that morning before they headed out. There were a type of opioid. “The good stuff,” Nico had told him. And he wasn’t lying. His muscles felt… well, they felt like nothing. The only thing he could feel was his head floating through the air and the heavy weights of the boots on his feet.

Klaus did his best to keep in line with everyone. He was never really good at keeping himself upright, but it was even worse in this condition. He tried to focus on the many tasks at hand. One foot in front of the other. Listen for your fellow soldiers around you. Scan your surroundings. Remember the gun safety.

They’d only been out here for a day and he was already covered in dirt and a thick sheen of sweat. He supposed he better get used to being in this state, much to his distain. He hated feeling dirty, even when he was at the lowest of his lows, he would opt to take long showers or baths. He imagined the cold water hitting his skin, cutting through the sticky sweat, and sighed.

The whole point of these rotations was to scan the area for any enemy activity. It had been quiet all day and Klaus hoped it would stay that way, but he knew better than to be so naive. He focused on Dave, who was walking a little ways ahead of him.

Klaus smiled as he looked at the man in front of him. Well, he was pretty sure he was smiling. He actually couldn’t really tell what his face was doing. He suddenly heard humming and snapped his head to the side to check out the source. But then he thought he recognized the tune and realized the noise was coming from him. He shrugged and kept humming.

“ _I’ve been having dreams_ …” he sang to himself ever so quietly as he skipped along.

“This ain’t a dance party, Hargreeves,” a soldier angrily whispered to him. Klaus snorted and apologized. He stopped humming, but kept some-what dancing along to the beat that was now in his head. He nearly forgot where he was until they got to a large clearing in the trees. A wide marshy area where the water was muddy and covered in a layer of algae. The soldiers stopped and Klaus nearly ran into Dave.

“Are-are we going through that?” Klaus asked, placing a hand on Dave’s shoulder, who nodded.

“Yeah, make sure to keep your rifle above your head.”

“Ohhh, okay, looks like fun,” Klaus said. He raised his rifle above his head and started to walk  ahead of Dave into the water. He was caught by the fabric on the back of his jacket.  

“It’s pretty muddy in there, so  you might wanna—“ but before Dave could finish his sentence, Klaus had already stepped into the water and fallen over. A single hand was still raised above the surface, holding his rifle. Those who witnessed this tried their best to hold in their laughter. Dave quickly reached in and grabbed Klaus, pulling him up. He kept  a hand on his shoulder to steady him. It was like holding up a giant wet noodle. Klaus was giggling to himself.

“You alright?” Dave asked amusedly.

Klaus nodded. His wet, curly hair bounced around his head. “Never better.” His eyes were a bit droopy and he had a dopey smile on his face. Dave looked at him suspiciously.

“I was gonna say you should take your boots off,” Dave told him. Klaus looked around and noticed the other soldiers were already doing so.

“Ohhh, yeah, yup, that makes sense.”  He brought a leg up to take a boot off and almost fell over again. Dave caught him.

“You can get back out of the water while you do that, Klaus.”

“Handsome _and_ smart,” Klaus said. He reached his hand up and Dave took it, hauling him out the water.

They all peeled their socks off and stuffed them in the top of their boots. Then they tied the laces of their boots together and laid them across the back of their necks like ornaments. Klaus followed suit as he sat on the bank of the water. He heard a few snickers as he did so. He looked down and grimaced at himself. He had forgotten his toes were painted.

“Aw, who you lookin’ pretty for, Hargreeves?” Someone asked.

 _Dave,_ he thought quickly in his head and laughed to himself, unintentionally ignoring the guy.

“Yeah, that’s a real good look on ya, Klaus,” Nico said with a wink. Klaus waved them off as he stood up.

“Ah, well, at least I look good,” he jested and was met with a quiet round of “ _Ohhhh’s.”_

“Alright, alright, enough,” Benny spoke. “Come on, Twinkle Toes,” he motioned to Klaus, but it was a friendly, welcomed banter.

Then they rolled up their pants and made their way into the mucky water, holding their rifles in the air.

“Oh, it’s like a day at the spa,” Klaus sighed as he felt his feet sink into the mud.

“You would know,” Clyde teased. Klaus splashed him with water and immediately regretted it. At least six different people shushed him.

“Sorry,” he and Clyde said simultaneously.

“We’ll see how sorry you are when you get us killed,” an older soldier said. Everyone stayed quiet after that.

 Dave kept an eye on Klaus as they waded through the water. He had a new unofficial duty of keeping Klaus upright. Klaus nearly fell over another half dozen times and it was even worse when the water was up to their waists. After the fourth time, Dave took Klaus’ rifle from him. Admittedly, it would be cute if it also wasn’t a little concerning.

“You usually this clumsy?” Dave whispered.

Klaus snorted. “Chyeah. Stairs are my enemy.” Dave laughed and imagined Klaus as a kid and how rambunctious he probably was. He imagined an abundance of scrapped knees. 

When they got to the other side, they paused to put their socks and boots back on. The men were too tired to continue berating Klaus about his painted toes. Klaus’ legs felt like putty as he got used to walking on land again. But his off-centered walk continued even after being back on land for at least twenty minutes.  

Dave had thought Klaus was acting weird. Well, weirder than normal. But he didn’t want to assume anything. Yet. A lot of guys acted off when they were out in the thick of it. It was a way of dealing with the stress. Not wanting to seem like he was hovering over him, Dave walked a little ahead of Klaus.

Klaus found a friendly face had joined him. “You know, this really is so lovely,” he spoke with a light voice.

“Yeah, it’s like a little vacation, innit?” Clyde asked. He patted Klaus on the back, but it was a little too harsh and it made him cough.

“Clyde, has anyone ever told you how handsome and strong you are?” Klaus asked only half-joking.

Clyde chuckled. “Well, coming from you, that’s quite the compliment.”

“Yeah, you remind me of my brother. But shorter.”

“Huh. Is he cool?”

Klaus blew a raspberry. “He _thinks_ he is. Always the super macho one of the bunch, ya know? He—“ He was cut off by his own feet tripping over a tree root. Clyde helped him back up. Klaus was giggling almost uncontrollably. He probably already had a hundred bruises forming.

Clyde studied him. “Are you high right now?”

Still giggling, Klaus put his finger up to his lips. “Shhhhh, don’t tell Dave,” he whispered.

Clyde shook his head and laughed. “Crazy mother fucker…” he said to himself. “As long as you’re alert, ya know? Keep your perception clear.”

“Oh, I have a clear perception, alright,” Klaus said. “Of… Dave’s   _great_ ass in those army pants.”

Clyde snorted. “Oh, yeahh, look at that thing move,” Clyde said. Klaus snickered, a little surprised Clyde played along with his joke. He was used to people discouraging his humor.

Dave turned around from where he walked a few meters ahead of them. “What’s so funny?” He asked as he walked backwards.

“Nothing, nothing,” Klaus said. He sped up a little so he could walk closer to Dave, who turned around as he joined him. Klaus bumped his shoulder against the slightly bigger man. A small smile was glued to his face. Dave returned the smile. Trying to look platonic, he gave Klaus a little pat on his back, but his hand lingered for a moment.

 

When the sun was high above them, they stopped to rest and eat. They settled into the nooks and crannies between the thick brush of the jungle floor, keeping out of sight. Klaus and Dave sat squished up against each other between a tree and a thick bush. They took sips of their water and nibbled on their rations.

“Okay, so, be honest…” Dave started.

Klaus brought his water bottle down as panic quickly set in. _Oh, shit,_ Klaus though. _He already figured it out Shit, shit, shit_.

But to Klaus’ surprised, the question that escaped Dave was, “Do you have a favorite sibling?”

Klaus coughed a little. “What?”

“I mean, you _gotta_. Seven of you? You gotta.”

“ _Woah,_ get outta here, you have seven siblings?” Benny asked, accidentally eavesdropping. Clyde was looking at them now, too.

Klaus blew a raspberry and laughed. He was in the clear, for now. “Well, seven including me.”

“Pfft, your parents were _busy,_ ” Clyde laughed. Klaus joined in awkwardly.

“Well, we’re adopted,” he told them. Clyde held his hands up in a quiet apology. Klaus turned to Dave. “But to answer your question…” He thought for a moment. “I guess I’ve always been a little partial to Ben.”

He thought of his late brother, who he hasn’t been able to see since arriving here. Oh, what he would say to Klaus if he could see him now. “I got along well with Diego, too. And Fi- uh.” He realized that saying his brother’s name was a number would definitely raise all the wrong questions. He quickly thought of a name. “ _Felix.”_ He hoped no one noticed his stumble.

“What are all their names? If you don’t mind me asking,” Dave said.

Klaus smiled as he looked down a bit. “No, it’s fine, uh. Well, Luther’s the oldest. Then Diego, Allison, me, um-Felix, Ben, and lastly, dear Vanya.”

“You all have really nice names,” Dave said with a smile.

“Oh, thank you. Mom named us all.”

“Really? No way,” Dave said. “My mom named me and my sisters.”

“And we’re both the middle child,” Klaus said with a laugh. If they were in another setting, he would’ve kissed Dave then.

 

Days later and they still found nothing. In moments like these, soldiers either were on high alert, or they were getting laid back. Both equally dangerous. Klaus was somewhere in the middle. He had only taken half a pill that morning, learning from day one that they were much stronger than the stuff he got back home. He was a little surprised something could have such a strong effect on him. He thought he had built up a tolerance to every drug in the book at this point.  But he was also feeling anxious about the quiet and he wanted to be a little more alert.        Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if his plan was working.

As they marched, Klaus started to hum to himself again. This time it was more deliberate, as their current activity put a song in his head.

“ _Mm-mm-m, one foot in front of the other,_ ” he whisper-sang to himself. He got a few side glances from the other soldiers, but he continued. Dave was chuckling to himself from where he walked behind him. He would much rather spend his time watching Klaus than observing his surroundings. He was basically dancing now to whatever song was in his head and it was one of the cutest things Dave had ever seen.

“ _Ooh-ohh-ooo!”_ He laughed to himself as he failed to hit the note.

“ _Klaus, shut up_ ,” Trevor said. Klaus waved him off and kept whisper-singing. “Seriously, you’re gonna get us killed,” Trevor hissed.

Klaus pointed at Trevor. “ _I got your back, if you got mine,_ ” he started walking backward. “ _Taking this one step at a—“_ And then he tripped backwards and the sound of his head connecting with the tree roots sounded oddly like a gunshot.

 

But he kept hearing gunfire and yelling and the stomping of boots. He brought his hands to his ears and he stayed still, curled there in the dirt, frozen with fear.

“Klaus, time to show ‘em what you got!” Dave yelled from where he was crouched next to Klaus. He had the scope held up to his eye, focusing his attention to the trees in front of him, looking for any movement. “Klaus, come on!” He yelled again.

But Klaus still laid there, shaking, his hands pressed to the sides of his head. His brain was pounding against his skull and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the adrenaline, the drugs, or both. He sobbed as the gunfire got more rapid and intense. He heard cries of pain and thought for sure the whole troop was getting killed. That Dave was already gone and he was next. And it would have all been his fault.

But soon he realized that the cries were more distant. These were the cries of the enemy soldiers. And his new friends, including Dave, were the ones responsible for their deaths. He continued to cry, still unable to move.

He felt his rifle being pressed into his hands. He wasn’t even sure where it came from, but he weakly clutched onto it anyway.

“Klaus, you have to get up!!!” He heard a voice scream, but he couldn’t tell who it belonged to. With all the might he could muster, he rolled onto his stomach and crawled to where his fellow soldiers were crouched in the bushes. He hands were shaking too much and he could hardly even focus on what was in front of his nose. And he could’ve sworn his ears were bleeding from the noise. Smoke from the rifles clogged his nose and stung his eyes, blurring his vision.

Without even being sure where he was aiming, he pulled the trigger and the recoil forced his shoulder back, making him cry out. He knew the bullet wouldn’t have hit any of his guys, since they were all on either side of him. And now he can at least say he tried. He didn’t dare shoot a second time, though. He was just trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. He could hear orders being shout, but for the life of him, he couldn’t make out the words. Every single thing his senses were detecting felt foreign.

 

And just as quickly as it started, the gunfire stopped. The air was still and silent. Thick smoke rolled through the atmosphere and he could smell the heat coming off of the rifles.

The call for the all-clear was made and few soldiers dared to cheer and whoop. Klaus started to come-to as a hand on his shoulder shook him out of his frozen state. Dave’s face was only inches from him, his expression dripped with concern.

“Klaus? Klaus, can you hear me?” Dave asked, but his voice sounded distant. Klaus thought he was seeing double as four ice blue eyes stared at him. They slowly morphed back to one pair as Dave’s face and voice got clearer.

“I-I’m sorry,” Klaus chocked out of his dry throat. He quickly brought a hand up to his ears to check for blood. Nothing. He looked around, panicked.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Dave said. “A lot of guys freeze up at first combat. You’re lucky it was just a few of them this time.”

Klaus nodded, still speechless. Dave helped him to his feet. They did a roll-call and all men were miraculously accounted for. They started to fall back in line, but Trevor marched right up to Klaus. He wagged a finger in his face as he spoke.

“Your little one man show could’ve gotten us killed. It almost did!”

“Hey!-“ Klaus started to defend himself, but Dave stepped in between them.

“Hey, calm down. We would’ve walked this way anyway, yeah? It’s no one’s fault.”

Not daring to start a fight with Dave, Trevor just sighed angrily and turned on his heel. Dave put his arm on Klaus’ back and guided him as they started to walk again.

“Hey, Klaus,” Benny said as he walked up to them. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not sure,” he said.

“That’s okay. That’s fine,” Benny spoke in a smooth, calm voice. “You’ll get used to it.”

“There’s no getting used to _that,_ ” Clyde said from where he walked behind them.

“Okay, true, but you’ll learn to deal with it,” Benny said. Klaus looked at him with doubt. “I can tell you’re strong. You’ll be okay.”

Klaus wasn’t sure if he could respond without crying, so he tried a smile and nodded his head. Nothing against Benny, though. Klaus was really starting to really like him. There was a calming presence about him. Klaus liked Clyde, too. The two’s opposite energies paired oddly well together and there was something familiar to Klaus about that.

“Hey, give him some space?” Dave asked. The other two men nodded and fell back a bit. Not caring how it looked, Dave kept his hand firm between Klaus’ shoulder blades.

 

As the sun started to set beyond the horizon, they searched for a safe spot to settle down for the night. They started by walking a certain distance away from where the ambush happened. They found a spot that was flanked on one side by the base of a large hill. They did a decent perimeter check for the other side.

Nights out here weren’t as luxurious as their supply mission. No tents, just whatever they had in the packs, them, and the dirt of the ground. Klaus found a tree with low branches and he settled himself under there. A lot of the guys were still up and about, but he wanted nothing more than to lay down and pretend he didn’t exist for a few hours.

Dave had sat by him, but didn’t say a word. No one did. Klaus wasn’t the only one in shock of what happened. A lot of the men just sat there, staring into the dirt. Eyes wide and their bodies unmoved.

Dave’s mind was racing, though. He was sure Klaus was on something. Sure of it. And he had a pretty good idea who gave him the supply.

Nico was at the edge of their makeshift camp. Keeping guard, Dave assumed.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” he whispered to Klaus. He wasn’t sure if Klaus had even heard him right, but he nodded his head anyway. Dave got up and made his way over to Nico. As he approached, he slapped a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention.

“Need something, Katz?” He asked.

“Yeah, I need to talk to you about something,” Dave told him. Nico chuckled.

“Alright, what is it?” He asked, turning more towards Dave.

Dave didn’t know where to start. He didn’t want to make any wild accusations, but at the same time, his intuition was almost never wrong. Almost.

Dave also does this thing where he knows he wants to talk to someone, but he isn’t exactly sure what it is he wants to say. He just walks towards them and hopes the words will come to him, but they usually don’t. So then he’s left standing there, racking his brain for the right thing to say. It happened the first three times he tried talking to Klaus. And it’s happening now.  

“Hellooo?” Nico asked, snapping his fingers in front of Dave, who had been silent for at least thirty seconds. Dave stammered.

“I just. I want to know,” he finally said. Nico huffed.

“Know what?”

“What’d you give him?” Dave asked boldly.

A slow grin grew on Nico’s face. “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific.”

Dave felt his face turn red with frustration. He took a breath. “What. Did you. Give him.”

Nico pretended to think and then shook his head. “Not sure I know who you’re talking about.”

Dave huffed through his nose, making his nostrils flare out. “Klaus. What did you give Klaus,” he spoke through his teeth.

Nico cocked his head. His grin was still there. “Not really sure how that’s any of your business, Katz.”  

“Just answer the question,” Dave said. A few party members had noticed their tense conversation and were watching from afar.

“Hmm, interesting. I don’t see you giving a shit when it’s someone else tripping out,” Nico remarked. Dave wavered a little bit. “Why is Private Hargreeves so special?”

“Just tell me.”

“You know, I don’t get why you’re making a big deal out of this. I didn’t even approach him, he came to me.” Dave was a little shocked by that, but he tried not to let Nico see. “Not surprising, though, I know a costumer when I see one. Now, can we drop it before you get us almost killed _again._ ”

He started to walk away, but Dave grabbed him by the collar of his vest. They had a majority of the troop’s attention now, but they were speaking too low for them to really hear what they were saying.

“He could’ve died back there,” Dave spat. “And it would’ve been your fault!”

Nico laughed and easily pushed Dave off of him. “ _Actually,_ it would’ve been his. Like I said, he came to me. I didn’t do shit.” Dave stared at him, not sure how to respond. “So, why don’t you go to talk to _him_ about it, hm?” Nico finished. He walked off and Dave let him this time.

Dave turned to their audience. “Show’s over,” he called. But then he noticed a familiar pair of green eyes watching him.

Klaus could feel his eyes start to sting. He wasn’t that stupid. He knew what they were talking about. So, Dave knew. He knew this entire time. And now he was stuck here amongst all of them with nowhere to run away to. Klaus chose the second best option and walked to the other side of their camp. He couldn’t handle the look Dave was giving him. Worry and hurt and something else he couldn’t pinpoint.

Dave gave Klaus the space he clearly needed. The situation quickly dissipated as they men moved on with their conversations, or lack thereof. Dave was known for being a leader type, always looking out for his men. Especially the younger guys. He wasn’t known to make a scene, though, especially not in a situation as dangerous as this one.

Dave sat back down in the spot Klaus was laying in previously, not paying attention to anyone who continued to stare at him. He sat with his head in his hands. He needed desperately to think.

 

The sun had finished setting and most everyone was ready to attempt to sleep. Klaus was still wired from the day’s events and he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep soon at all. So, he volunteered for the first shift of night-watch.

When Dave volunteered with him, he wasn’t sure if he was pleased or anxious. Or both. Probably both.

Klaus settled down a little ways off from the rest of the group where he had a good view of the open side of their makeshift camp. He sat with his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on them. His rifle lay by his side. Dave settled down next to him, but there was no greeting. They were silent as they stared off into the night.

When he was sure the others were all asleep, Dave finally spoke. “Can we talk about what happened back there?”

Klaus didn’t look at him. He just sighed. “You mean the ambush or…?”

“All of it.”

Klaus nodded, but he still looked straight ahead. He felt too anxious to properly speak. He didn’t know what intentions Dave had with this conversation, but he had a pretty good idea. He would tell him he was stupid and that he put them all in danger. That he was ashamed. He would call off whatever this was and Klaus would go crawling back to his bunk at camp to open the briefcase once more. He might not go back home. He might just see where else it takes him.

But he didn’t see the concerned  way Dave was looking at him. “Klaus?”  

Klaus finally faced him. His head hung low with his face squished up against his arms. His eyes were sad and heavy. “What did you want to say?”

“I just. I want to make sure you’re okay,” Dave said. When Klaus didn’t respond, he continued. “A lot of the guys try things that they shouldn’t and… and it gets ugly. I just. I don’t want something similar happening to you.” Klaus lifted his head to look at him proper. “I get the temptation to try new things, whatever you can, to ease the tension, but…”

Klaus realized that Dave only really understood part of the situation. Normally he’d try to slither out of a conversation like this, but he actually wanted to tell Dave what was really going on. He knew relaying the full truth wasn’t an option, but he had to tell him something.

Klaus spoke carefully, “Dave, it’s really kind of you to say all that, but I don’t think you completely understand.” Dave looked at him in mild confusion. “This wasn’t me trying something new,” Klaus confessed.  

“Wha.. what do you mean?”

Klaus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. “I _mean_ I’ve been to rehab like…. thirteen times. At least.”

Dave didn’t quite know how to respond to that. It was shocking, sure, but Klaus was also opening up to him and he didn’t want to make him feel ashamed for doing so. He was looking at Dave for a response, though. He was sure the shock was clear on his face.

“Thank you for telling me,” he finally said. Klaus smiled weakly at him. He looked back out into the darkness.

“Sometimes someone would make me go,” Klaus continued. “Usually Ben or Diego. But other times I’d go by myself.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Dave asked.

Klaus shrugged. “I suppose it could be, but it never really did anything for me,” he admitted. “Every time I got out, I would go straight to my dealer.” There was a long pause before he barely audibly said, “I’m too weak.”

“No, no,” Dave quickly defended him. “Hey,” he placed a hand on Klaus’ back and rubbed little circles there. “You’re not weak.”

“I am, though,” Klaus said with a nod. “I am.” A few tears escaped his eyes then and he quickly wiped them away.

Dave thought for a moment. “Okay, so, say you are weak. What’s wrong with that? You can’t expect to be strong all the time.”

Klaus whipped his head to look at him. That was a first. “What? So, you’re not like, mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

Klaus was stunned into silence for a few seconds. “Well. People usually are.”

“By ‘people’, do you mean your family?” Dave asked. Klaus nodded. Dave looked down as he thought for a moment. “Klaus, just because you have an addiction doesn’t mean you’re not deserving of love or affection.”

Now Klaus really couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Dave moved the hand he had on his back so his arm curled tighter around his shoulders. Klaus had heard similar sentiments countless of times while in rehab, but they always reeked of bullshit. They were too fake. No one he encountered in the real world really thought that way. Well, until now.

Dave pulled his arm away from Klaus’ shoulders and Klaus could immediately feel its absence. But then he felt a hand tugging at his arm that was still folded across his knees. He unfolded himself and Dave took his hand.

Klaus’ hand was soft and small in Dave’s. His grip warm and comforting. Dave stroked the back of Klaus’ hand with his thumb as he spoke.

“I’m going to support you, okay? I need you to know how serious I am about you.”

Klaus stared at him, truly speechless.

Not sure what else to do, he leaned forward to kiss Dave, whose eyes widened in shock. He broke away and looked behind them in panic, worried someone was still awake and saw them. Luckily, all he saw were slumbering silhouettes. He turned back to Klaus.

“Make sure the coast is clear next time,” he teased before leaning in to kiss Klaus back properly. When they broke apart, Klaus scooted closer to Dave and rested his head on his shoulder. Dave laced their fingers together and squeezed Klaus’ hand.

“Besides, you’re still super cute,” Dave said. Klaus giggled. “And silly. And _hot._ ” Klaus laughed harder, having to stifle it with his hand. “And I like that you paint your toes.” He took in a breath. “And I really like you,” he added with a shyness ringing clear in his voice.

Klaus lifted his head to make eye contact with him. “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” he teased and stuck his tongue out at him. Dave laughed and, even in the moonlight, Klaus could see his blush.  

“I like you, too,” Klaus said quietly. The smile Dave gave him was warm and gentle. He glanced behind them again, just to be extra safe, and then kissed Klaus once more. Pleased, Klaus leaned his head back down on Dave’s shoulder.

After a few  quiet minutes, Klaus spoke, “How do you do it?”

“Do what?”  
“The killing.”

Dave looked ahead into the woods. “I try not to think about it,” he admitted. “It goes against… everything. How I was raised, what I believe in, what I stand for. All of it.” His eyes looked down at Klaus. “But I have no choice.”

“Well, you _do,_ technically,” Klaus said. “You could just. Not.”

Dave huffed a laugh out of his nose. “I wish it were that simple. I feel like I have to. I gotta protect my guys.”

“And me,” Klaus said with a grin. He felt Dave’s shoulder shake as he laughed quietly

“Yeah, and you.” He smiled. He brought Klaus’ hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

Klaus blushed at the gesture, having to hid his face with his free hand. He quickly kissed Dave’s jaw, making him smile, and then settled his head back down on his shoulder. They sat there, warm and content, as they stared into the dark abyss ahead of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dave writing in his diary that night: "I got promoted today. My new duties include keeping Klaus mentally, emotionally, and physically upright."
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter four coming soon ~ <3


	4. The Crouching Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to remind everyone that this story is rated explicit. Not just for sex scenes, but for graphic descriptions of battlefield violence and gore as well.

Falling in love with Klaus was the easiest thing Dave had ever done.

Before Klaus arrived, Dave felt like it was his buddies that were helping him keep sane. That their companionship made up for the senseless violence. And that part was still mostly true. But Klaus made everything worthwhile.

Within Klaus’ first two months, there were three other ambushes since the first one. He had already seen an improvement in himself. And Dave saw it, too. He got his first kill in the second ambush. The boys whooped and hollered for him, but that night Dave could hear Klaus cry himself to sleep.

“You ever kill anyone before?” A soldier named Connor had asked him that night.

“No.”

“Well, you better get fuckin’ used to it.”

Night time was the worst for Klaus. He had nightmares almost every single time he slept. Most guys got nightmares while there were here, for some they won’t come until after they’re at home. But for Klaus, he got them since day one. Something tells Dave the nightmares weren’t triggered just by being in Vietnam. He had a feeling Klaus had been struggling with nightmares nearly all his life.

He would talk in his sleep. A lot. There were plenty of nights, while they were out in the jungle, that they had to wake Klaus up so he wouldn’t scream in his sleep and give away their position. He’d yell things like, “No, please, I can’t go back in there!” or “Why did you make me do that??”

It broke Dave’s heart to hear.

Klaus normally started his mornings with a pill. Dave would look the other way as he swallowed it, but he would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him. But he understood. Especially after hearing him struggle through the night. He knew forcing Klaus into sobriety was not the thing he needed at the moment. That would be the next step, if they got lucky enough to get to it.

To the rest of the troop, Klaus was seen as this weak little junkie. He didn’t get a lot of respect, but they thought he was funny for the most part. His sense of humor fit right in within the troop. It was probably the only thing saving him from constant humiliation.

The biggest turning point for Klaus, Dave thought, was about a month and a half in. It was the third case of combat Klaus had dealt with. They were deep in the jungle, the furthest they’ve gone yet. The thing that made this ambush different was the landscape. The trees in this area were less dense and  spaced out further than usual. The ground was covered in thick bushes that made it hard to maneuver around.

Soldiers on either side were struggling with this situation. Klaus was mostly taking cover behind one of the few trees. But seeing the younger guys struggle made him reevaluate his strategy. He wanted to leave any cover spots available to them.

So he started to crawl.

Klaus was quick-thinking and a lot smarter than people gave him credit for, including himself. Upon seeing the lack of their typical cover, he decided to make do with what he had. He got low in the flora and crawled around the perimeter of the battlefield.

Upon his place from the ground, he was able to scan the trees at the perimeter for any perched snipers. Sure enough, high in the trees, he saw at least five soldiers perched on the branches. And with the open land before them, it was easy pickings.

Klaus got flat on his stomach and situated his rifle to his shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember the feeling of Dave’s arms around him as he taught him to shoot. He reopened his eyes, brought the scope up to his eye, and aimed for the sniper closest to him.

It took him two shots, but he got him. His limp body broke branches as it fell from the tree top. It made a thick and meaty ‘thud’ as it connected to the dirt just a few meters away from Klaus.

Of course, this stirred confusion amongst the soldiers on either side. Before they could figure out what was going on, Klaus was aiming for his second target. He was trying not to think too much of these men as individuals. How he might have just killed someone’s father or brother. He made his second shot and the man’s head nearly disconnected from his body as it smacked a thick branch on the way down.

“IN THE TREES. THEY’RE UP IN THE TREES,” Klaus heard someone yell. And now that the Americans had the upper hand, the rest of the battle went by quickly. Klaus got two more kills under his belt before the final shot was drawn.

It was silent and the only thing moving was the gentle smoke in the air. Slowly, Klaus got up and shocked himself to see how close he had made it to the other side. The others watched him in stunned silence. Then there was bits of laughter and excitement as they pieced together what just happened.  

Clyde hollered and shouted out to the jungle to any who might here, “HEY VC?! WE GOT YOUR CROUCHING BEAST RIGHT HERE!” He yelled as he pointed to Klaus.

The others then stormed Klaus, hugging him and patting his back. Dave was so excited that he picked him up and spun him around. This was an apparently normal reaction as about five other men also picked Klaus up. Including the troops two beefiest guys, and the ones that intimidated Klaus the most, Jake and Connor.

And as an homage to the mountain, Clyde dubbed Klaus the troop’s very own “Lurking Tiger.”

Now that Klaus had essentially proven himself to be brave and competent in battle, it made him feel more comfortable to be more himself during their downtimes and patrols. It also helped that people knew he was unofficially under Dave’s protection. And no one really messed with Dave.

Klaus would sing more often and no one told him to shut up. He also started presenting in ways close to his usual fashion. He would tie up his shirt so it showed his midriff. Or he would not wear a shirt at all and just be bare underneath his vest. (Dave was a fan of that look in particular).

But the moment that really did Dave in happened close to two months in. It was in the early morning, when the sky was pink, and Dave was on autopilot as he slinkied around the trees. Then he suddenly felt wet grass being tossed over him and the blades stuck to his arms and rifle.

He looked to his side to see Clyde giggling as he continued to throw grass over him as if he were throwing confetti.

“Clyde, are you high? What are you doing?” he asked with exasperation as he brushed the blades of grass off of him.

“Oh, just celebrating a certain someone’s birthday,” Clyde said. Dave scoffed.

“It’s your _birthday?!”_ Klaus asked from where he walked next to Dave. His mouth hung open in excitement.  

Dave waved him off. “Clyde, I can hardly keep track of the days. _I’m_ not even sure if it’s my birthday, how do _you_ know it’s my birthday?”

“I keep a tally of the days in my notebook,” Clyde said.

“Yeah, I’m not sure how accurate those are,” Dave laughed.

“But it’s your _birthday?_ ” Klaus asked as he tugged on Dave’s arm. Klaus had a weird relationship with the concept of birthdays. He was jealous of most people because they had their own. He always wondered what it was like to not share a birthday. Just have everyone celebrating him. He could hardly imagine it.

“Well, it _is_ early May. So, yeah, it’s close to it.”

“Wow. Wait, how old are you?” Klaus asked. It just now occurred to him that they did not know this basic information about each other.

“Well, according to Clyde, I’m thirty-one today. How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine.”

Clyde snorted and leaned over to whisper in Dave’s ear. “Oh, shit, guess he’s too young for you now, man.”

Dave pushed him back playfully. “Nu! Knock it off.”

Later that same day, they had stopped to eat. Klaus looked nervous and he kept peaking up at Dave more than usual. Dave didn’t think too much about it. That is, until he opened his mess kit to see a blooming flower tucked inside. It was full and round, with white and pastel pink petals. Delighted, he looked up at Klaus, who of course was watching him.

“Happy birthday,” Klaus mouthed at him and added a wink. His cheeks were a soft pink.

Dave smiled brightly at him, returning the blush. He looked back down at the flower in his kit. He had no idea how Klaus managed to sneak it in there, but he decided he would keep it in there forever. He didn’t mind the almost inedible food because the visual of the flower filled him with so much warmth. That was the moment he was pretty sure he knew.

 

The first death Klaus witnessed on his side happened just a few days after. It was one of the younger guys, someone he barely interacted with, but he knew his name was Sam. He had gotten too bold. Made himself too noticeable, too close to the enemy line. Now, this might not be true, but Klaus was convinced that Sam was trying to mimic what he had done before. And Klaus hated himself for it. Sam tried to follow Klaus’ lead and because of that, he wound up dead.

Klaus was only a few feet away from him when the bullet pierced through his neck. The wheezing whimper he made as he struggled to breathe through his eviscerated windpipe was the worst sound Klaus had ever heard. He would hear it again that night in his nightmares.

After that battle, Klaus had retrieved Sam’s dog-tags. He  handed them over to another guy he thought was close with Sam, named Josh. He didn’t say a word to him—just plopped them in his hands and then walked away.

 

Their R&R days at the end of May lined up with the mail delivery.

“Hey, what’d Soph get us?” Clyde asked as they approached the table piled with mail.

“Gather ‘round and see,” Benny said, selecting the box addressed to him.

Mail day was of course something any military personnel looked forward to, but it was extra special for this troop. Opening the box from Benny’s fiancé Sophie was akin to opening presents on holidays. All who were gathered leaned in close as Benny cut open the box.

“Alright, let’s see,” Benny said as he made a show of rummaging around the contents. “Clyde, new playing cards for you,” he tossed the deck over to Clyde. “Must’ve known you spilled whiskey on your last deck.”

“Gee, how’d she know that?” Clyde asked in mock wonder.

There were some other trinkets tucked away in the box. She had gotten Trevor a small compass that doubled as a sun dial. She knew he liked little nifty things like that. For Dave she packed a new, small journal and a new writing pen. Benny slid it across the table to Dave, who was distracted by a letter from his family.

“Oh, these are mine,” Benny said, clutching a bundle of letters to his chest before putting them back in the box. “Oh, Klaus, looks like she has something for you, too.” Benny was really bad at faking his surprise.

Klaus’ ears perked up. He couldn’t remember the last time he got a present from anybody. And now a woman he had never met decided to buy and send something over to him just because he’s friends with her fiancé.

And then Benny threw a bottle of black nail polish over to him, which he barely caught. The men laughed and exclaimed in delight.

“Wow, how’d she know?” Klaus asked, fully aware of the answer. He was slightly embarrassed, but that was quickly masked over when Benny threw a bottle of shampoo at Nico.

“That’s for you.”

“What the hell, Ben?” Nico asked.

Benny shrugged with a mischievous smile. Dave saw the commotion from the corner of his eye and chuckled. Klaus turned his attention to him.

“Who’s that from?” He asked, referring to the letter Dave was reading.

“My mom. Just an update on the family and things back home. You can read it, if you want,” Dave said.

Klaus declined the offer, but he did use that invite as an excuse to scoot closer to Dave, nearly resting his face on his shoulder.

There was a thicker envelope along with the letter. Dave pried it open with his thumb and pulled out a stack of photos and something else wrapped up in brown paper. Dave put that package down for now to look through the photos.

“Is that your family?” Klaus asked. It was probably a dumb question, but he didn’t want to assume.

“Yeah, these are my parents.” He gave Klaus the photo and Klaus smiled at it. Dave had his father’s hair and jawline, but the rest of his features came from his mother. Especially his smile. They were almost identical.

“And here are my sisters. There’s Sabrina and that’s Molly,” he pointed to the respective girls in the photo.

“Wow, you all look so much alike,” Klaus said. “Especially you and Sabrina.”

Dave laughed. “Oh, I’ll definitely mention you said that in my next letter. She’ll love that.” Klaus picked up on the sarcasm and laughed.

“They’re beautiful, too,” Klaus added. Dave raised an eyebrow at him as if to say _“So, you think I’m beautiful?”_

Klaus winked at him. _“Yes.”_

There was a beat. Dave looked around to see everyone still distracted by their mail. He used that moment to ask Klaus, “Would you ever consider writing them?”

“Who?”

Dave looked at him with disbelief. “Your family.” Klaus shook his head. “At least to tell them where you are?”

“No, no,” Klaus said, still shaking his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” 

Dave asked quietly, “Not even Ben?”

Klaus’ mouth opened and closed a few times as he was at a loss for words. Before he could speak, he felt a presence plop down on his other side.

“What are we talkin’ about?” Clyde asked.

“I’m trying to convince Klaus to write to his family,” Dave said.

“You not talk to them?”

“ _No,_ ” Klaus said sternly, not appreciating being put on the spot.

Before they could continue, a whistle pierced through the camp. Heads turned towards the sound of a vehicle approaching.

“Fresh meat!” Someone yelled. The bus pulled up and they could see new recruits seated in the rows.

“Huh,” Clyde said. “You know, I didn’t even realize one of the buses was missing ‘til now.”

Klaus got excited. He finally wouldn’t be the newbie anymore. He watched as about a dozen men, or should he say boys, made their way off the bus. For some of them, their duffel bags were almost bigger than they were. In any other situation it would be funny, but it made Klaus frown.

“Come on,” Dave said, nudging Klaus’ shoulder. “Let’s introduce ourselves.”

There were too many new names for Klaus to keep track of. They all seemed to go in one ear and out the other, but he stayed polite as he introduced himself. One of the boys stood out, though. He was the only one who seemed happy, like he didn’t understand where he was quite yet. He kept a big, genuine smile on his face as he met his fellow soldiers. His smile only grew as he looked around the camp. It honestly hurt Klaus to watch.

“Hi, I’m Klaus. Klaus Hargreeves,” he said when he introduced himself.

“Howard McNamara, but you can call me ‘Howie’,” he said cheerfully. “No relation to Robert, though.” Klaus nodded, although he didn’t know what he meant by that.

“How old are you?” Klaus asked without meaning to.

“Oh, I’m eighteen.”

Pain struck across Klaus’ face. He was a kid. All of them. Children sent off to die. In that moment, Klaus felt like he would give anything to prevent any of them from experiencing what he has so far. His thoughts were interrupted when someone clasped at his shoulders.

“Well, you’ve arrived just in time, _Howie,_ ” Nico said. “We’re plannin’ on wildin’ out tonight. You down?”

Now, Howie didn’t really know what he meant by that, but he kept smiling. “Wilding out? Yeah, sure. I’m down.”

Nico smirked and gave him a wink.

 

Later in the tent, Klaus was rummaging through his bag to find something to wear that night. He was standing there in just his pinstripe pants. Unsatisfied with his own clothes, he snatched a grey tank top off of Dave’s bed and slipped it on.

“Hey, Klaus,” Dave said as he approached their corner. He stopped in his tracks when he saw what Klaus was wearing. “Damn,” he said, giving him a once over. His tank top was a bit big for Klaus, so it hung low on his chest and made his shoulders appear slender.

“Eyes are up here,” Klaus joked. He winked when Dave looked back up at him. Dave had to physically force himself to look away so he could change his own clothes.

“So, um,” Dave started as he changed his shirt. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to single you out.”

Klaus looked at him with mild surprise. “Oh. No, it’s okay, it’s just.” He let out a sigh.

Dave watched Klaus’ face as it journeyed through different expressions. With another sigh, Klaus spoke. “If the situation was different, yes, I would write to them. But…” He stopped as he trailed off.

“But…?” Dave encouraged.

“But I just _can’t._ ” As he said this, he sat down on the floor and leaned on his bunk. _“_ Not now, not ever.” He looked to Dave, who joined him by his side. “Can you understand that?”

“Yes, of course,” Dave said. Because they were concealed by the bunks, Klaus felt safe enough to take one of Dave’s hands with both of his. Dave squeezed his hands. “Can you forgive me for earlier?” Dave asked.

Klaus involuntarily raised his eyebrows. No one’s ever asked for his forgiveness before. “Yeah, of course,” he echoed. Dave gave a small smile and carefully put his arm around Klaus. The other man smiled and scooted closer to him. And as added assurance, after checking that the coast was clear, Klaus planted a kiss on Dave’s cheek.

Dave smiled with pink cheeks. “Thank you,” he said.

Klaus laughed. “For the kiss or…?” Dave’s blush deepened.

“For forgiving me. But, yeah, that too.”

“Really, it’s okay, I just didn’t want to talk about my family in front of everyone.”

“But I should’ve known that,” Dave said. The smile Klaus gave him was small and warm.

“There’s something else I want to tell you,” Klaus said, his voice suddenly sounding nervous. Dave nodded. “It’s about Ben.”

Dave turned so his body was facing Klaus more directly, giving him his full attention. Klaus closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. A few tears fell and Klaus opened his eyes, but he still hadn’t said anything yet.

“Klaus, what is it?” Dave asked. 

“Dave,” Klaus said in a wavering voice. His eyes wandered around the tent. He didn’t feel like he could look Dave in the eye and tell him. “Ben, uh…. There was an accident, um, when we were teenagers.” Klaus finally looked at him. “He died.”  

Dave nearly froze. Klaus’ bottom lip was quivering.

“It happened a while ago, though. We were seventeen,” Klaus added.  

“Oh, Klaus, baby,” Dave said, feeling his own eyes start to sting. He couldn’t imagine losing one of his sisters. He tightened his arm around Klaus and brought the other arm up to fully encase him in a hug. Klaus didn’t say anything, he just rested his head on Dave’s shoulder and cried quietly. Dave peaked around the tent again before placing a few comforting kisses to Klaus’ temple and forehead. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have—“

“No,” Klaus cut him off and waved his hand. “You couldn’t… you didn’t know.  Besides, it was so long ago… I don’t even know why I’m crying so much,” he said as he wiped at his eyes again.

“No, you’re allowed to still feel grief. That’s…. a sibling is a hard thing to lose.”

“Yeah, especially when he’s the only one who…” Klaus trailed off again. “Never mind.”

Now, to tell the truth, Klaus wasn’t crying because he was grieving. He was crying simply because he missed Ben. He never really personally _lost_ Ben, but of course Dave can’t know that. At least not yet. But he missed seeing him and having him around. That was really the only good thing about his power: it allowed him to keep his closest sibling.

Klaus sat up and Dave broke the embrace. He wiped at his eyes before asking, “So, uh, what did your mom send you? In that package?”

“Oh, yeah,” Dave said. He retrieved the package from the pile of mail on his bunk and then returned to Klaus. He inspected the small package and then carefully unwrapped it. When he saw what it was, he nearly started crying again.

“What is it??” Klaus asked, scooting closer. Dave held up the small charm.

“It’s a Star of David,” he said. “It’s um,”

“I know what it is,” Klaus said. “May I?” He stuck his hand out and Dave nodded, handing him the charm. Klaus inspected it. “It’d be perfect for your dog-tags.”

“Yeah,” Dave said and his voice wavered more than before. Klaus looked up at him in time to see a few tears roll down his cheeks. He was reading something. Klaus looked over his shoulder to see there was a note left for Dave by his mother written in Hebrew.

“What’s that say?” Klaus asked. 

Dave cleared his throat and read, “ _My son, I hope this finds you well. I daven to Hashem every day for your safety and quick return. May His Shield protect you until then.”_

The words touched Klaus. He reached over and caressed Dave’s face, who leaned into his touch. Klaus then took the charm in his hand and fastened it to Dave’s dog-tags.

“It looks good,” Klaus said. Dave looked down and inspected the new addition. He smiled at Klaus and kissed him gently. They sat there and enjoyed each other’s company in the quiet. 

But the silence was quickly interrupted by a familiar voice that sang-songed through the tent. “ _Oh, Klaaauusss,”_ They called. Klaus peaked his head up over the cot to see Nico walking through the aisle. He quickly adjusted himself and got up.

“Hey, Nico.”

“Oh, there’s our little tiger,” he said with a smile. He acknowledged Dave with a nod. “Katz.”

“Ralph.”

He turned back to Klaus. “So, anyway, a few of the guys are fixin’ to get tats today. Seemed like that was up your ally,” he punctuated himself with a little tap on the back of Klaus’ hand.

Klaus wanted to say no. He _really_ did. But there was no stopping the smile that spread on his face.

“Fuck yes.”  

 

A few minutes into the bus ride into town and Benny made his way over to Klaus and Dave’s bench.

“Hey, Hargreeves,” he said as sat down across from them. “Something else Sophie included for you. Didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone.” He handed him a small black pencil which Klaus immediately recognized as eyeliner. He laughed as he took it from Benny.

“Wow,” he said. “But how’d she…?”

Benny shrugged, but his smile was mischievous. “Lucky guess.”

“Well, tell her I said thank you.”

“Will do. Hey, do you want to see her picture?”

Klaus nodded. “Yeah.”

Benny pulled out his wallet, produced a photo, and handed it to Klaus. She was tan with sandy-blonde hair. Her smile was big and beautiful as she wore a flowing, floral dress and a floppy sun hat.

“Wow, she’s gorgeous,” Klaus said.

“Yeah, she is,” Benny said. He took the photo back and looked at it fondly before putting it back in his wallet. “Been together five years now.”

Klaus’ jaw dropped. “Wow, that’s. That’s incredible. Um, thank you, again,” he said, gesturing with the eyeliner.

“No problem,” Benny said. “You can look forward to more of her little gifts later. Judging from her letter, she’s a fan of you.” And with that, he got up and walked back to his original seat.  

“Wait, how much did you tell her about me?” Klaus asked as Benny walked away. “Benny??”

 

The bus drove them into town and dropped them off in the middle of a busy square. They tried to blend in as they wore their street clothes, but they still stood out like sore thumbs. Connor was insistent that he knew of the best place to go, and while the others had their doubts, all who wanted tattoos followed him through the crowded street.

He led them to a dimly lit but well decorated shop. A friendly worker was up the front cleaning some equipment and he welcomed them in.

“You Americans?” he asked with an accent.

“Sure are,” Connor replied. “That okay?”

The man nodded with a smile. “Business is business,” he laughed. He led them to a seating area where they could look through the artist’s books.

Klaus studied the designs as he flipped through the book. To him, these were all “old-school” style, but he supposed this is about what every tattoo artist’s book looked like during this time. Not exactly his style, but he was down for anything. He saw a cute one with a frog holding an umbrella and pointed it out to Dave.

“Already have half of it,” he joked. Dave, of course, was not getting a tattoo. He was here for moral support. And also to make sure Klaus didn’t get anything regrettable.

“Oh, oh, ohh!” Nico exclaimed in delight. “Hey, Klaus!” He called. Clyde peaked over his shoulder to see what design got him excited and let out a little whoop of his own.

“Yeahhhh, there we go! That’s the one!” He yelled.

Nico strode over to Klaus, plopped the book on his lap, and tapped on the design in question. Klaus looked to see a boldly outlined drawing of a crouching tiger. He smiled huge and looked to Dave, who smiled in return. Klaus looked back to Nico.

“Fuck yeah,” he said.

Klaus sat in the chair as the artist got himself ready. Dave sat on a chair near him, nervously working his hands together. Howie was pacing back and forth, looking through an artist’s book.

“Hey, why’s the kid here?” Clyde asked.

“Because he wanted to be,” Nico answered.

“I’m right here,” Howie said, waving his hand.

Then a different employee walked through the curtain and greeted them. Judging by his many tattoos and piercings, he was the artist.

“Hello, I’m Thu,” he spoke.

“Klaus,” he said, holding out a hand. Thu took it and shook firmly. He had a beautiful sleeve of an outdoor scene that wrapped around his thick arm. “Wow, that’s pretty,” Klaus said.

“Thank you. Took a very long time,” he said with a nod. “Now, what are you getting?” Thu asked.

“Oh, this,” Klaus said, pointing to the tiger. “On my shoulder blade?”

Thu smiled. “Very good choice. That one is very popular.”

Klaus peeled his shirt off as Thu set up his station.

“Wow, the junkie has abs,” Nico commented. Klaus flipped him off.

Thu worked quickly, but professionally. Klaus could feel the machine drag along his skin as he created the thick lines of the tiger. Outlines hurt the worst and that’s all this tattoo was. But Klaus took it in stride, only wincing when the machine passed over certain areas. Dave was intrigued as he watched the stencil transform to actual ink in Klaus’ skin.

“Does it hurt?” Howie asked from where he stood behind Dave.

“Ohh, no, it feels like butterfly kisses,” Klaus said through his teeth.

Thu wiped away the excess ink one last time to reveal the finished piece. Dave was impressed. It was more bold and powerful when it was etched in someone’s skin. It really was beautiful. The men gathered to ohh-and-ahh at it.

“You are now _officially_ the 173rd’s Crouching Beast,” Clyde said. “How does it feel?”

“Like I’m going to Disneyland,” Klaus said. He was met with cheers. Thu was amused by the soldier’s antics.

“Anyone else?” Thu asked.

“I want one,” Howie said, raising his hand. They all chuckled, including Thu.

“I don’t think so, buddy,” Klaus said as he got up. He patted Howie’s shoulder. “Maybe in due time. But you should get settled in first.”

“Do me up, chief,” Clyde said, flopping into the chair. Him, Nico, Connor, and Jake all ended up getting tattoos. All a variety of designs. Jake and Connor got pinups. Clyde got a spider monkey smoking a joint on his wrist. Nico ended up adding to his snake tattoo.

“Where to now, boys?” Clyde asked as they walked out the door and back out into the sunlight. They had to shield their eyes since they were so used to the lighting of the tattoo shop.

“We can show the new guy here the clubs,” Nico said as he enthusiastically grabbed onto Howie’s shoulders.

“Oh! I’ve never been to a disco before.”

“You’re adorable,” Clyde said. “Come on, I know which one Benny and the boys were headed to.”

 

Atmosphere wise, this disco wasn’t much different from the one they went to last time. But this one had a blue/green/purple color pallet as opposed to the yellow/orange. It made for a more nightclub atmosphere that Klaus was used to. He also noticed something else about this club. There were backrooms.

Klaus smirked, grabbed Dave’s arm, and pulled him to the dance floor.

“That’s not something you see every day,” Howie said. But he didn’t sound judgmental, he was just making an observation.

“Eh, you’ll get used to it,” Clyde said. “Come on, let’s go find Benny.”

The night played out similar to their last outing. They danced close, but not too close. Some girls tried to dance with them and once again, Klaus seemed fine with it while Dave felt awkward. But really, that was to be expected.

As if remembering something, Klaus tapped Dave on the shoulder and told him he was heading to the bathroom. He wasn’t going to take a pill, he had already taken one that morning. Instead, he walked up to the mirror and produced the pencil liner from the pocket of his pinstriped pants.

As he started applying it, a girl walked into the bathroom. He momentarily freaked out, wondering if he accidentally went into the wrong room.

The girl must’ve noticed his expression because she jabbed her thumb towards the door and said, “Long line.”

She then walked right up to the mirror next to Klaus and started fixing her makeup as well. Klaus shrugged and continued applying his eyeliner. He noticed the girl was continuously glancing at him.

“You look, oh, what’s the word… Familiar?” She said. Her eyes squinted and she tapped her chin as she thought. “Did we dance together before?”

And now that Klaus was looking at her, she was right. She was the girl that pulled him away from the bar those few months ago.

“Oh, yeah! Hey!” Klaus said.

“I’m Mai,” she cheerfully introduced herself.

“Klaus.”

“You’re with that handsome soldier again?” She asked.

Klaus smiled. “Yeah. And, I’m a soldier, too.”

“Oh, okay.” She almost didn’t believe him. “You look good like that,” she said, referring to the eyeliner. She gestured to his eyes. “Very pretty.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I’ll see you out there?” She asked, closing her makeup mirror. Klaus nodded and then she swiftly turned around and left the bathroom.

When Klaus made his way back out, he went searching for Dave. He found him with the usual group, bopping their heads to the music.

“Hey, Dave, you’re never gonna guess—“ he cut himself off when he noticed the look on Dave’s face. His mouth was hanging open and he looked at him, completely mystified.

“Yo, are you wearing makeup?” Clyde asked.

“Oh, yeah, Sophie sent it over for me. Isn’t it cute?” He asked, holding a hand under his chin to pose. Dave only nodded his head, a little speechless. Klaus shrugged  and twirled around to get lost in the crowd. Dave followed him, completely ignoring whoever was speaking now.  

“You look beautiful,” Dave finally said into Klaus’ ear when he found him on the dancefloor.

“Oh, thanks, Handsome,” Klaus said with a wink. Dave blushed.

“What were you going to say back there?” Dave asked.

“Oh, yeah!” And he told him about the girl in the bathroom. And they actually went to look for her and her friend, whose name they found out to be Lanh, because, hey, they were fun dance partners. And they were quite happy to play the role of beards. They didn’t try to split up Dave and Klaus, they just danced together and ended up doing a few rounds of shots together as well.

An hour in and everyone seemed distracted enough by the alcohol and girls. Dave motioned to the back of the club with his head.

“You wanna get out of here?” He asked Klaus.

Klaus wiggled his eyebrows at him. “Yes, of course.” Dave smiled at him before making his way to the back. Klaus waited a few minutes before following him to avoid suspicion. He parted the bead curtain that lead to the backrooms and rounded a corner to find a hallway of evenly spaced rooms. All with the door closed.

“Dave?” He called in a whisper. When he didn’t hear a call back he continued walking the hall. Afraid he had lost him, he started to walk back. He rounded the corner and ran right into Dave.

“Oh,” Dave said as they laughed together. “Hey.” He brought his hands up and placed them on Klaus’ arms. He stepped forward more and put their foreheads together. Klaus smiled up at him.

“Shouldn’t we get a room first?” He teased. Dave just made a noise in the back of his throat and brought their lips together.

“I suppose,” he sighed when he broke apart.

Klaus tugged at his shirt. “I think I saw an empty one down the hall,” he said mischievously.

“Yeah?” Dave asked and then he was being pulled down the dimly lit hallway. Klaus led him through the door of the empty room and they giggled as the door closed.

The room was small, with lights that alternated between the same blue/green/purple pallet as the rest of the club’s décor. There was a bed in the middle, but Klaus had seen better looking ones in the shittiest of motels.

“Yeah, we’re not using that,” Dave said, pointing to the bed.

“Fine with me,” Klaus said and he pushed Dave up against the wall and kissed him again, deeper this time. His hands held Dave’s jaw and Dave’s hands went right to his hips. Dave started kissing along his neck and Klaus felt his butt being squeezed. He giggled and grasped at Dave’s shoulders.

“I’ve been watching your cute little butt bounce around all night,” Dave breathed into his neck. “And it’s been driving me _crazy._ ”

Klaus made a pleasant hum and wiggled his hips. “Has it now?” He asked.

“You know it has,” Dave said, still kissing his neck. Klaus giggled. He wasn’t wrong, he was fully aware of the effect he had on Dave. Grinning, he sunk down to his knees and started working Dave’s belt loose.

“This is all I wanted to do last time,” he said.

“Oh, so I’m just a piece of meat to you?” Dave asked in mock offense.

“No, honey,” Klaus said. “You have a good face, too.”

The things Klaus could do with his mouth were obscene. Dave had to pull him off of him just so things wouldn’t end too early. They didn’t have a lot of alone time together and they liked to draw it out for as long as possible. He pulled Klaus up and kissed him. He was content to be here for a while, just leaning against the wall and kissing Klaus.

Klaus pulled away with a smile. “So, you say my ass has been driving you crazy?”

“Mhm.”

“Then show me,” Klaus said with a wink. Dave smiled and held onto Klaus as he switched their positions. Then he turned Klaus around and pushed him against the wall. Klaus laughed as he had to bring his arms up to brace himself.

That was a major thing Dave had learned about Klaus so far: he liked it rough and he liked being man-handled. Dave wasn’t sure how he felt about it at first, but he quickly got on board when he saw how much Klaus enjoyed it.

 And Klaus looked great like this. Braced against the wall with his back arched. His new tattoo was on full display now and Dave had to admit it was incredibly sexy. He couldn’t undress him fast enough. He got Klaus’ pants down around his ankles and gave his ass a few more playful squeezes.

“So cute,” he murmured in Klaus’ ear. He kissed along his shoulders as he got his own pants down. They kicked their garments aside and Dave lined himself up with Klaus. Because they were almost the same height, they could comfortably do this while standing.

Dave pushed into him slowly, waited for Klaus to adjust, then started to move. When they were like this, it was easy for Dave to completely wrap Klaus up in his arms, which both men _loved._ Dave loved the closeness and intimacy while Klaus liked the feeling of someone else completely taking over. Klaus kept one arm braced against the wall while his other hand found one of Dave’s and held onto it tightly.

Anyone who walked outside their room could probably tell exactly what they were doing and how they were doing it. When they’re not anywhere where their troop mates could easily find them, Klaus didn’t really hold anything back. He was _very_ vocal, which Dave found hot as hell. That he was the one making Klaus make those noises.

He nearly shrieked when they finished. His hips twitched and his knees went weak. Dave had to hold him up as they rode out their orgasms.

“God, you’re so hot,” Dave continued to praise him. He kissed along Klaus’ neck and ear. He slowly pulled out and Klaus yelped again. With a sigh, he turned around and leaned his full weight against the wall.

“You are _by far_ my best lay,” Klaus said. Dave laughed. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Klaus, kissing him proper. Dave loved how soft and plump Klaus’ lips were. They were very distracting when he was trying to talk to him. He would just stare at them as they moved and dreamed of a time and place he could kiss them whenever he pleased. And now that he _could_ kiss them, he wasn’t letting up.

“I could stay in here and kiss you all night,” he told Klaus, making him smile.

“I’m fine with that.”

And Dave did kiss him. _A lot._ But they did eventually had to get their clothes back on and maybe try to sneak back out there. As they tugged their shirts back on, Dave froze as he heard the music outside switch to a slow song.

He listened to make sure he really recognized it before saying, “I love this song.”

Without even hesitating, Klaus took his hand and pulled him away from the door. “Let’s dance then.” And since they couldn’t do it outside, this was perfect. Dave laughed delightedly as Klaus pulled him in.

“I’ve never seriously slow danced with someone before,” Klaus admitted.

“I don’t believe that,” Dave said. Klaus laughed.

“No, really, it’s true.”

“Well, lucky for you, it’s super easy. Just sway,” Dave said, leading Klaus around the room. The alternating lights of the room made it seem like they were in their very own disco. Safe and away from the world outside. Klaus rested his head on Dave’s shoulder so his face was hidden away in his neck. He placed a gentle kiss to the skin there.

“ _You’re just too good to be true,”_ Dave whisper sang into his ear. “ _Can’t take my eyes off of you._ ”

Klaus laughed and brought his head up to kiss Dave sweetly.

“I don’t wanna go back out there,” Klaus told him.  

“Yeah, me neither.”

And so they didn’t. They stayed in that room for way longer than they should have. In that room where they free to be themselves, unguarded, embraced in each other’s arms. As the music grew bigger and louder, they danced and spun into oblivion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sophie in her letter to Benny: If anything bad ever happens to Klaus, I will fly to Vietnam myself and end this war. 
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter five coming soon ~ <3


	5. It Takes Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note I've updated this work's tags.

Days and weeks and months all started to blend together. Parts of the jungle, even areas that they hardly go to, were all starting to look the same. Walking along started to feel to Klaus like he was in an episode of the _Twilight Zone._ He felt like he could keep walking for hours and hours and he would just end up in the same spot again. Going around in circles of never ending violence and rain and sweat.

“I feel like Rod Serling is about to appear from behind that tree,” Klaus said to no one in particular as he pointed at a large tree up ahead. And as if it was a cruel joke by God,  lightning then struck that very tree. 

It caught fire immediately and timbered down in a booming, echoing crash. Despite the ground being wet, the fire spread at an insane rate. It spread until it encircled the group of soldiers like caged rats. They stood there, mouths ajar as they watched the flames creep closer to them.

“Is this some kind of booby trap?” Benny asked.

“Or an hallucination??” Howie asked through quickened breaths.

The flames slowly encroached on them, making them huddle in a tight group. The flames licked at their heels and one by one they were consumed. Howie went first. Klaus cried as he saw the skin melt off his hands and face. Then Trevor went. He reached out for Jake or Connor, but they were taken, too. The flames wrapped around them like long, spidery limbs. Klaus cried desperately for Dave, but he was nowhere to be found. He turned around in time to witness Benny being pulled into the entrapping fire.

A closer look into the flames, and Klaus saw shapes moving about. As he squinted, he was able to make out faces and bodies. And then he recognized them. They were the faces of all the people he’s killed thus far. And they laughed and cheered as they consumed his friends. He fell to his knees as his hands covered his ears in a desperate attempt to shut them out.

“No, wait! Stop!” he yelled, squeezing his head further. Thick tears left trails on his cheeks as he breathed in the black smoke. It got hotter and hotter and he felt he had no time left. And then boots appeared by his side and he looked up to see Dave standing above him. He was looking down at him with a dark shadow casted on his face.

“Dave?” Klaus asked as he slowly got up.  

“This is all your fault, Klaus,” he said.

Klaus stammered. “Wh-what? Dave?” And then Dave’s hand was around his neck. He tightened his grip on Klaus’ throat and pushed him up against a tree. Klaus’ toes were barely touching the ground. He tried to pry Dave’s fingers off his neck, but his hand was solid. Like he was made of stone.

“You’re such a disappointment,” Dave said, but his voice was distorted, like he was hearing it from underwater.

Then it clicked for Klaus and he closed his eyes in desperation. “No, no, no, please, stop. I can’t—“ And when he snapped his eyes open, he saw none other than his father, Reginald. The hand around his neck tightened. The fire was only surrounding them and the tree now. Klaus could see the orange flames reflected in his father’s eyes.

“Dad, stop,” Klaus wheezed. “Dad, please! You’re hurting me!” His yells sounded like they belonged to a version of him that was well over a decade younger.

“You’ll never lean, will you?” Reginald said, ignoring Klaus’ struggles. “You’re just going to waste your time and life here.”

Klaus shook his head. He was barely able to let out an audible, “Please, stop.” And surprisingly, Reginald let his feet touch the ground. But only for a second, because then Klaus found himself being launched into the ring of fire.

He screamed as he felt his face drip in sweat. But the flames never came. Instead, when he opened his eyes, it was dark except for the ice blue eyes looking at him with concern. He tried to talk, but there was a hand over his mouth.

“Klaus?” Dave asked as he removed his hand.

Klaus felt he was speechless. He saw there was a small audience as other sets of eyes pierced through the night.

“I’m sorry,” Klaus finally said in a harsh whisper.

“It’s okay, Klaus,” Dave said. But what he really wanted to say was, “ _It’s okay, baby. I got you. I’m going to keep you safe.”_ As reassurance, he squeezed one of Klaus’ hands. But what he really wanted to do was kiss it. And kiss his face and lips. And keep kissing him until he stopped crying and fell back asleep.

“I’m on watch duty right now if, you know. If you need to talk,” Dave told him. Klaus nodded.

“I think I’m just gonna lie here for now,” Klaus said, readjusting himself. Dave nodded and then went back to his watch post.

Klaus sighed as he looked up at the stars through the trees. He wondered how much of his dream he had said aloud. And how much the other soldiers had heard. He hoped he hadn’t said his father’s name. He didn’t want his life here tainted with that name. Or really any bad name from his past life. Reginald. Pogo. Luther. They didn’t deserve to be here with him.

“Hey, you alright?” A quiet voice asked him. Klaus looked to his side to see Howie had joined him. He was lying on his stomach, facing Klaus.

“Hey. Yeah, I’m fine. This,” He motioned to himself. “This is normal. You know that.”

“Huh, okay. Do you wanna hear about the weird dream I just had?”

Klaus huffed a laugh and nodded. And then Howie, excitedly, but still quietly, dove into the story of his surreal dream where the trees and grass could move and talk. One of the trees carried him when he was tired and it had the voice of his mother.

“What’s your mother’s name?” Klaus asked.

“Peggy. Yours?”

“Grace.” Ah, a good name. Klaus wouldn’t mind having a dream about his mother. He would like to hear her humming over the sound of sizzling eggs. Klaus stretched out and yawned. Those he had woken up earlier had already dozed off again.

“So, a month in, and you’re having dreams about your mom carrying you?” Klaus asked.

“Ha, yeah, guess so,” Howie said.

“Lucky you.” And Klaus was understandably jealous. He couldn’t remember the last halfway decent dream he’d had. And that memory goes back way further than Vietnam. But he wouldn’t dare let that fate be handed over to Howie. If his nightmares meant Howie would continue to have pleasant dreams while he’s here, Klaus would take that deal in a second. He was used to his nightmares, anyway.

Howie was even more clueless than Klaus when he first got here. In fact, it was Klaus’ turn to pass the torch and teach him how to dismantle his rifle and put it back together again. And he gave him the tip of tying his boots up around his shoulders _before_ entering any large bodies of water. Howie was grateful for all of it and Klaus enjoyed the wonder in his eyes as he learned new things.

It was also nice having someone around who was so much younger than him. It was nice having conversations that weren’t centered around killing people or meaningless sex or alcoholism.

Instead, Howie would talk to Klaus about the model cars he’s built. He would talk about his two younger sisters. And how, once he got back to the states, he would study astrophysics or “Something real smart like that.” Something that would get him a lot of money so he could provide for his family.

And of course, if Howie was talking to Klaus, he was mostly likely talking to Dave. They both liked hearing about this quaint little fantasies. They were a good escape when being here got overwhelming and they couldn’t run off into town.

When the sun slowly made its way up over the horizon, the soldiers awakened and got ready to move again. Klaus rummaged for his pill baggy. His stash was getting low since Nico didn’t get the usual size haul last R&R. But after last night’s nightmare, he felt the need to indulge himself. He took a full one and swallowed it dry. He closed his eyes as he felt it descend into his stomach.

With the early morning came the early morning rain. Having constantly wet clothes is something every Vietnam soldier had to get used to. It was rather simple for Klaus. He had gone through countless months of having clothing that was falling apart and not warm enough while he lived on the streets. Even up until he opened the briefcase, the canvas of his shoes was separating from the soles.

The pitter patter of the rain on his skin felt otherworldly with his altered senses. He held his arms out and let the rain dance on his skin. He then twirled with a big smile on his face, head tilted towards the sky. The rain felt nice as it washed away his sticky sweat. He took off his helmet and let the rain wet and curl up his hair. Dave watched from the corner of his eyes and smiled. Everything Klaus did seemed to charm him and dancing in the rain was easily at the top of that list.

The rain wasn’t the only thing Klaus had seemingly no trouble getting used to. Having nearly inedible food was also nothing really new to him. He was so skinny not just because of his drug habit, but because there were times he would go nearly a whole week without eating.

Sometimes, he’d be able to get scraps by hanging outside the backs of grocery stores and begging for the food they were throwing out. He lived off of slightly stale bread and browning vegetables for the better part of a decade.

Although those were depressing times, they were nothing compared to his home. And they had helped make adjusting here a lot easier. It shocked him as much as everyone else. When the scrawny junkie first arrive, they thought there was no hope for him. But he got used to being out here a lot quicker than they all originally thought. That felt nice. It felt nice to prove someone wrong when they thought negatively of you. That wasn’t an opportunity Klaus was faced with very often.

But one thing about this rain is it made his hair absolutely unmanageable. Even short, it got exceedingly curly. He let the rain wet his hair for the dramatics of it all, but when the rain stopped, he immediately regretted it. He started to roughly run his fingers through his hair to get the curls out.

“Why do you always do that?” Dave asked as he walked next to him.

“Do what?” Klaus asked. Dave mimicked Klaus’ motions. “Oh, that.” Klaus looked around to see who was around them, but then decided he didn’t care. With a shrug, he started to explain, “It’s just a habit I have. Um, my father would make me brush my hair out to ‘keep appearances’.” He used his fingers to air-quote the last part.

“Really?” Dave asked as he pushed a branch back for Klaus.

“Yeah, ya know, when your father is a billionaire I guess there are certain expectations you’re meant to maintain.” And he said this so offhandedly, as if it was the most mundane thing in the world. Like how one might say, _“Guess I should grab my keys, since I’m driving.”_

But it made Dave stop in his tracks. Klaus didn’t notice as he kept walking, so Dave had to sprint a little bit to catch back up with him. “ _Your father is a billionaire?”_ He asked in a wondrous whisper.

“ _Was_ a billionaire,” Klaus corrected. “Well, supposedly. I haven’t seen a single penny of that fortune.”

“Oh, sorry,” Dave said. Klaus looked at him.

“Honey, I expected nothing less from him,” he said. Dave sighed and tried to give him a smile, but it was still too sad. “He probably gave it all to his assistant.”

“What a dick,” Dave said. That made Klaus laugh.

“Yeah, you said it.”

“For what it’s worth, I like your curls,” Dave said, accompanied by a small smile. Klaus blushed and smiled back at him.

“Yeah, I like yours, too.” And then he gave Dave a noogie through his helmet.

 

Night watch was the best part of being out here, Klaus thought. It allowed him and Dave time to talk about whatever. In a setting that induced the most abstract of thoughts, their conversations were never lack luster. He wasn’t always on watch with Dave, though. Sometimes someone else would volunteer with him and he was able to build up his friendships that way.

That night, it was Benny who claimed a shift with him. He tapped his shoulder and said, “With me, Hargreeves.”

They found a good surveying spot on an outcrop and settled in for the first hour. Klaus sat in his usual way, with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He rested his chin on his knees and sighed.

“So, how are you doing, Klaus?” Benny asked him.

“I’m fine, I’m…  yeah, I’m good. You?”

Benny watched him for a moment before answering. “I’m doing good, too,” he spoke slowly. “I just want to make sure, you’re, ya know, _handling_ everything well.”

“I said I’m fine,” Klaus said. He wasn’t annoyed, but he didn’t look at Benny as he spoke. He actually enjoyed the _watching_ part of night watch. He liked surveying the land and feeling important.

“I know, I guess I meant more like… pertaining to Dave.”

That made Klaus look at him. His head snapped way too quickly. “Whaaa… I mean. What do you mean??” He asked.

Benny chuckled. “I _mean…. How are you two doing?_ ” He hoped he didn’t have to explain any further.

Klaus continued to stare at him, eyes wide. His jaw moved, but no sound came out. Benny laughed at him and nudged him with his elbow.

“Close your mouth, boy.”

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait,” Klaus said. His hands gestured wildly in the air. Benny smiled amusedly as Klaus pieced it together. “You _know?_ ”

Benny huffed a laugh through his nose. “Of course I know. I’ve known before he even spoke to you.”

That didn’t compute. “What?”

“Nevermind. I just _know._ And so does Clyde.”

“ _Clyde knows??”_ Klaus asked, exasperated. Out of all the conversations he could’ve had with Benny tonight, this was not one he was expecting. “Does Dave know you know?”

“Of course. Why do you think we’re friends?”

Klaus was slowly putting it all together. “So you’re all…?”

“Well, not me,” Benny clarified. “I just don’t mind it.”

“Right, ‘cause you’re with Sophie,” Klaus said more to himself as he thought about it. “And Clyde?”

Benny laughed. “Clyde is just… Clyde.” Klaus joined in on his laugher. “I’m not so sure about that man.”

Klaus snorted. “You know? That all makes so much more sense now.”

Benny laughed. “Okay, so let me ask you again: How are you and Dave doing?”

And now Klaus was blushing. “We’re fine,” he said through a smile.

“Just fine?”

“Maybe more than fine.” His smile shone bright through the night and Benny nudged him again.

“Good, good.” It was silent for a moment until Benny spoke up again. “So, Dave tells me, and I hate to bring this up, but you don’t write to your family?”

Klaus looked offended for a moment. “He told you that?”

“Well, I may have eavesdropped last mail day,” Benny said, saving Dave’s skin. Klaus squinted, but didn’t push it.  

“Well, you’ve heard correctly,” Klaus said.  

“May I ask why?”

Klaus closed his eyes and breathed heavily through his nose. “I just don’t want to.”

“And that’s fine,” Benny said. “But, if you wanted to, you could write to Sophie instead. Just so you have someone to write to.”

Klaus looked at him again. That was probably the nicest things anyone has ever offered him. “Oh, Benny, I don’t know if I could do that,” he admitted.

“No problem. But, if you change your mind,” then Benny reached into a bag he had attached to his belt. He produced a small notebook. “I get so many of these from her. You can keep this one.” He handed the notebook over to Klaus, who took it apprehensively.

Klaus stammered. “You really don’t have to do this.”

“I know. But I want to. And I think she would like hearing from you.”

Klaus nodded and set the notebook down by his side. “Well, thank you.” He rung his fingers together. “So… You said you’ve been together for five years?”

Benny smiled as he thought of her. “Yup.”

“And you proposed before coming over here?” Klaus asked. Benny nodded. “Can I ask why you didn’t just marry her?”

Benny looked at him and Klaus felt the need to defend himself. “I just mean, that seems to be the thing most guy do around here. Um—“

“—It’s okay Klaus,” Benny said, but the sparkle in his eyes had faded for a brief moment. “We didn’t get married… Because we couldn’t.” He glanced briefly at Klaus as he said this.

Klaus furrowed his eyebrows together. “Why not?”

Benny sighed. “Our unity would not be legally recognized by the state.” He tone was dry, as if this was a pre-scripted line he had recited multiple times. 

Klaus continued to stare at him. He should be getting this. Benny stared right back, waiting for Klaus to understand. Then Klaus’ eyes widened and he gasped way more dramatically than he intended.

“She’s trans,” he said.

Benny nodded. “Bingo.”

“You’re dating a trans woman.”

“I’m dating a trans woman.”

“And so you’re friends with Dave.” The realization in his voice was hard to miss.

“So I’m friends with Dave.”

 

That morning, Dave woke up to find a note placed in his helmet.

_“Because you’re so brave and handsome, I’ll forgive you for gossiping to Benny :P”_

Dave read the note with amusement. The most interesting part of the note to him was the smiley face. He had never seen one drawn that way before. He smiled and put the note in his pocket.

Dave and Klaus took the back of the line. Out of sight from the other soldiers, they took many opportunities to touch each other. Klaus would hold onto Dave’s arm or Dave would keep a hand on Klaus’ lower back to steady him. He still wasn’t ace at walking in a straight line, but Dave found it amusing and undeniably cute.

“Let’s play a game,” Connor said from a few feet ahead of them.

“Let’s not,” Klaus said. He didn’t actually mean it, though. He just liked teasing everyone. Connor shot him a look and failed to hide a budding smile.

“I vote Eye Spy,” Clyde said.

“Absolutely not,” Connor, Klaus, and Dave said simultaneously. Their combined voiced carried through the branches.

“ _Please_ stop talking,” Trevor whined.  

“What? You don’t enjoy our beautiful voices?” Klaus asked.  

“ _No._ ”

 “You know—“ Dave started, but he was never able to finish his sentence. Up far ahead of the line he heard someone yell, “There’s a booby trap up here!”

The group stopped in their tracks. It was Nico who detected it.

“Ah, little bugger, you got a good eye,” Clyde said, impressed.

“’Bugger’? You British now?” Trevor asked.

“What? He’s Italian,” Clyde defended.

As they bantered, Nico kept inspecting the trap. It was a trip wire strung between two trees. At one end was a can.

“Hundred bucks there’s a grenade in there,” Nico said as he jabbed at the contraption with his thumb.

“Let’s not take that bet,” Benny said.

They carefully walked around the trap, but there was no denying the thick tension that was now present in the air. The talking had ceased and everyone walked with their gun at the ready.

Klaus scanned the area and made note of everyone’s position, especially Howie. He had only been in a handful of combat situations so far and Klaus was usually right next to him. But he was so far up the line this time, Klaus would be kidding himself if he said that didn’t add to his anxieties.

As he made another scan, he saw a VC soldier out of place quickly duck back behind a tree.

“Over there!” He called. And then the guns swung over to where he was pointing and all hell broke loose. Dave grabbed Klaus by the back of his vest and dove to the ground.

“Wait, but Howie!” Klaus yelled.

“No time!”

With Dave by his side, Klaus brought his rifle up to his shoulder. Together, they knocked out the soldiers in their direct vicinity.

It started to rain again and Klaus cursed the sky. Desperate to at least get closer to Howie, he called out to Dave, “Let’s circle to there!” He pointed to a group of tightly clustered trees about thirty feet ahead.  

“Good call,” Dave yelled back.

Klaus checked the upper branches for snippers. When it was clear, they started to make their way around. Dave called for Connor to watch their six.

“Watch your back! Get cover!” Dave yelled to his troop.

“Hear ya, Chief,” Benny called.

“You guys suck!!” Clyde yelled to the enemy soldiers as he unloaded his gun into the mist.

One advantage the soldiers had over the Viet Cong was weaponry. There were hardly ever any casualties during actual battle because the VC were so easily driven away. And since their booby trap didn’t work this time, the same old routine played out.

The soldiers sighed as the VC retreated deep into the woods. But a sharp scream made them lift their guns right back up.

“KLAUS!” A shrill voice ran through the woods.

“Howie??” Klaus called.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!” Howie screamed. His voice broke and his face was covered in tears, snot, and dirt. He was crouching over a body. When Klaus got closer, he inhaled sharply and turned away. Whomever it was had a four foot sharpened piece of bamboo piercing through his chest. Blood had fountained out of his mouth and down his neck and chest. His eyes were open, but dull. It appeared they had set up a second booby trap.  

Klaus finally worked up the courage to approach and inspect the dog-tags. “ _Speza, Austin P.,”_ they read. He was someone who came over with Howie. Klaus yanked the dog-tags off and gave them to Howie.

“Hold onto these,” he said solemnly.

Howie sniffed and rubbed at his face. He took the dog-tags from Klaus with a nod. “Okay,” he said but it was barely audible. Then Howie reached down and closed the kid’s eyes.

“Guys! We have another situation over here!” Clyde yelled. “It’s Benny!” His voice wavered.

“Oh, shit,” Klaus and Dave said simultaneously. They ran over to where Clyde was squatting on the ground.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Klaus heard Benny say, but his voice was rough and weak. _Oh, thank God,_ Klaus thought. _He’s alive._ He shouldered through everyone standing around and found Benny lying on his side, clutching at his shoulder.

“Oh, God,” Klaus exclaimed.

“What happened??” Dave asked.

“Bullet grazed my shoulder,” Benny said. His voice sounded tight and Clyde shushed him.

“I’ll radio the helicopter,” Jake said.

And they all had to wait there for over an hour for the helicopter to arrive. They did their best to stop the bleeding, but the longer they waited, the less hopeful they got. When the paramedics hopped out, they started treatment on Benny immediately. He was cleaned, disinfected, and bandaged up. But he had lost a lot of blood.  

And then they all stood there, completely shocked, and watched as they took Benny up into the sky.

 

 One time, when Klaus and his siblings were about ten years old, Five had found a turtle wandering around the garden.

“What on earth are you doing here, little guy?” He asked it. He immediately took it up to his room and built a make-shirt terrarium out of a cardboard box. He kept it secret from their dad. Not that he would even check their rooms to find it, but Five wanted to know something that Reginald didn’t. So, he kept it hidden.

But he told his siblings about it. On a Saturday, when they were allowed to play and neither Reginald nor Pogo would bother them. For the most part, they thought it was interesting. A turtle found in the middle of New York City? That sure is something.

“It’s probably someone’s pet that got loose,” Allison said.

“I agree,” said Luther. “You should put up posters and try to return it.”

“I don’t wanna return it,” Five told them. “I wannaa keep it and study it for science.” What research a ten year old would do on a turtle in his room was lost on his siblings, but even from an early age, Five was the brightest.

Five took alright care of it. He didn’t seem to harbor any sort of emotional attachment to it, but Diego? Diego _loved_ it. He was the one who named it, not Five. He called him Raphael, after the Ninja Turtle. He would take him out of the box when Five wasn’t around and play with him. He even tried constructing a hamster ball for him, but that didn’t work out very well.

Reginald somehow never found out about it. Pogo probably did. But, for whatever reason, he didn’t feel the need to tell his master. Nor did he tell the children to get rid of it.

Saturday Play Time turned into Saturday Turtle Time. They would take Raphael out to the garden and set him loose to see where he liked to hang out and which plants he liked to eat. Diego would then pick these plants and feed them to Raphael throughout the week while he was stuck in Five’s room.

Unfortunately, this only lasted for about a month and a half. Raphael died of unknown causes and Five was pretty bummed about it, but he seemed to move on quickly.

Diego, on the other hand, was _devastated._ He locked himself in his room and cried for nearly the entire day. And that was the first time Klaus had seen Diego cry so much. Not when their father made them practice for hours with no break. Not when he made them sit alone all day with only one meal. Not even when he would hit them.

No, Diego cried for hours and hours over the only pet they ever really had. The first time he was able to freely show love. And as Klaus reflected on this now, he realized that maybe Diego had always been soft. That he was always meant to be soft. And any ill moments in their relationship were caused by the underlining effects of their upbringing, not because he found Klaus insufferable or because he didn’t love him. And now Klaus was thinking of all the ways he would forgive Diego if he ever saw him again.

“Are you okay?” Dave asked as he approached him. Klaus sat within the tall grass of the jungle floor. The blades were a few inches taller than his head. The sudden speech made Klaus jump, but his spiked anxiety cooled down when he saw Dave approaching him. As an answer to his question, Klaus just shrugged.

Dave sat down next to him and offered Klaus a flask full of whiskey. He took it graciously and took a big swig. When Klaus looked back to Dave, he saw his cheeks were stained with tears. Instinctively, Klaus brought a hand up and thumbed away a stray tear on Dave’s face.

“Hey, he’s gonna be alright,” Klaus assured. “The medic said he’d be back in a few weeks.” Dave nodded, but it took a moment for him to speak again. Klaus’ words and gesture made him choke up once more.

“I know,” he finally said. His voice was rough and he cleared his throat. “I know, I just. It’s never easy when it’s a friend. Worse when they don’t come back.”

“Yeah,” Klaus said. He’s lucky he hasn’t experienced that yet, but he’s waiting for the day he does. He’s scared of how he’ll react then. Nervously, he brought a hand up and started brushing his fingers through his hair again.

Next to him, Dave sighed and laid down on his stomach. Klaus mimicked his action. They both rested their chins on their arms.

After what felt like half an hour, Klaus spoke up again. “You know, I was just thinking about my brother.”

Dave perked up a bit. “Yeah?”

Klaus wiped at his eyes. “Yeah, Diego. He’s tough, but a softie. Would probably fit right in around here.” He nodded as an affirmation to his own theory. “Much better than me.”

“Hey, you’re a tough softie, too,” Dave said. Klaus looked at Dave and, for the first time that night, he laughed. Dave smiled with him, but he only showed a flash of teeth.

Then Dave reached over and cupped Klaus’ face and played with the hair behind his ear. Klaus closed his eyes and leaned deeply into the touch. When the motion stopped, Klaus opened his eyes to look at Dave, who then leaned in and gave Klaus a quick, soft kiss.

“We’re going to be okay,” Dave assured him as he took his hand away. Klaus nodded, but there were still tears to wipe away. He sighed and rolled onto his back. Now it was Dave’s turn to copy. He then took one of Klaus’ hands and brought it up to his lips. He gently placed a kiss to Klaus’ palm before setting their joint hands back down on the dirt.

The stars were bright that night. They twinkled and danced and the two men could get a peek at their show through the curtain of leaves. The breeze coming down from the mountain smelled of fresh water. And just a little far off, Klaus could hear the chirping of insects he’d probably never get the chance to admire. He sighed as a breeze rolled over him. A welcomed change from the high humidity of the day.

“You know, it really is beautiful here,” Klaus said.

“Yeah, it is.” Dave agreed. “Too bad.”

“Yeah. Too bad.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is just sad idk what to say I'm so sorry (or am I?)
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter Six coming soon ~ <3


	6. To Heal Soft Wounds

The air was still and silent at camp. It was hard to enjoy rest time when one of your greats was nowhere to be seen. Benny was supposed to be coming back today. At least, that’s what they were told. Instead of fucking off to do God-knows-what, everyone decided to stay at camp to welcome him back.

Clyde sat on a log and anxiously whittled a stick. His leg bounced wildly and his eyes were unfocused. He just kept passing the knife along the stick rhythmically, not really concerned about where he was carving it.

Klaus and Dave sat on the ground close by to him. To pass the time, Dave was attempting to teach Klaus a few different card games. Right now they were in the middle of a game Dave lovingly referred to as “Trash.” The concept was simple, but Klaus may or may not have been faking dumb just to work Dave up. He also chose not to wear a shirt today, which was exceedingly distracting.

“Do I flip _this_ one over?” Klaus asked, pointing to a face down card.

“Well, kings are wild, so you can flip any card,” Dave said.

“But which card do _you_ think I should pick?” His asked with a smile. Dave looked at him dryly and Klaus stuck his tongue out at him.

“You two are ridiculous,” Clyde mumbled as he peeled off another layer of wood.

“I dunno what you mean,” Klaus said as he stretched out. Dave chose to ignore Clyde to stare at Klaus, which he did with no sense of discretion. Klaus’s muscles had gained definition since he first got here. He was still skinny, but the change was noticeable all over. Even his legs had gotten more powerful (but of course, the other soldiers didn’t know about that one). On top of that, his skin had gotten beautifully tan.

“Can I help you with something?” Klaus asked, pulling Dave out of his daze.

“What?” He asked, blinking into focus. Klaus stuck out his tongue again.

“You’re silly,” Klaus said.

“Again, I say,” Clyde spoke up. “ _Ridiculous.”_

A sudden commotion on the far side of camp made all their heads perk up. They stood and watched as a bus slowly made its way up the dirt road. Clyde hesitantly made his way over to where it came to a stop. He held his breath as the door swung open.

Then he exhaled as Benny made his way off the bus. There was no obvious sign of damage, though his pace was a little stiff. He took in the camp and then gave a simple wave to everybody.

“Hey, guys,” he called. Clyde let out a laugh, but it was more like a release of the tension he’d been harboring for the past few weeks.

“Come ‘ere,” Clyde said, pulling Benny into a tight hug.  Benny had to bend down a little bit since he was a good half-foot taller than him. And then Klaus and Dave joined in and it turned into a big group hug.

“Alright, guys, alright. Give the man some space,” Clyde directed.

“You’re the one who started it,” Trevor pointed out. Clyde just waved him off.

“I _would_ like to get settled back into my cot,” Benny said.

“What? Were the hospital beds too luxurious for you?” Dave asked.

Benny tapped his nose. “Having a mattress _was_ nice. I’ll give ‘em that.”   

The soldiers gave Benny space as he made his way over to the tent. He will admit, despite the dangers that coming back here meant, he was glad he wasn’t sent home yet. He did miss his boys. Especially his closer band of friends.  

As he set his stuff down on his bunk, he heard soft footsteps approaching.

“Hey, Benny,” Klaus said quietly. His was wringing his hands together.   

“Hey, Klaus,” Benny greeted. “What’s going on?”

“I just… I wanted to let you know that I wrote to her. To Sophie.”

Benny’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to tell her what happened. And that you were okay,” Klaus continued.

Benny smiled and reached over to briefly squeeze Klaus’ arm. “Thank you, Klaus. But you do know I was able to write to her from the hospital, right?”

Klaus flushed red. His hands gestured sporadically as he spoke. “Yeah, but I guess I-we couldn’t take that chance. Besides, it would probably reassure her to hear from someone else, like besides you,  that you were okay and—“

“—Klaus,” Benny said.  

“Yeah?”

“Come here.” And then he opened his arms to welcome Klaus into a well needed, one-on-one hug.

 

Clyde declared that tonight, everyone should get _extra_ wasted in celebration of Benny’s return. And he sure as hell had that intention. He was already on his third drink and the night had just barely started.

The disco was very crowded tonight. It seemed to be a popular one and Klaus could see why. They had three disco balls, two normal and one with colorful lights. It caused an effect like none other. Like bright, colorful fireflies flew around every nook and cranny.

Klaus approached Dave with two shots in hand. He was wearing the lavender shirt he bought when he first came here. The fabric was so thin it was almost see-through and the cut hung low on his chest. He looked absolutely gorgeous as the lights bounced off of him.

“For you,” Klaus said, handing him a shot. Dave held his arm out and gave Klaus a look that asked _“Why not?”_ Klaus nodded for an answer, then he hooked his arm around Dave’s and they downed their shots.

“Hell yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” Clyde slurred. “Let’s go dance, boys!” 

It was almost too crowded to dance, but that didn’t stop the group of large men from trying. Besides, it gave Klaus and Dave an easy excuse to get _very_ close to each other. There were a few times their thighs brushed together and it made their heartrates increase. Dave was focused on Klaus, his eyes never looking away as he danced and twirled and flared around.

Klaus had put on eyeliner for the evening and at some point in time, he found someone with body glitter who very happily smeared some on his face. He was like a fourth disco ball: bright, colorful, and full of energy. He smiled at Dave and the light danced off the glitter on his cheeks. In awe, Dave thought to himself, _How did I get so lucky?_

“Can I bud in?” Benny asked over the music as he placed a hand on Dave’s shoulder. He rolled his eyes, but smiled and happily let Benny dance with him and Klaus.

“Klaus, you look toned down and reserved tonight,” Benny said. Klaus snorted.

“You were my inspiration,” he said, making the other two men laugh.

A drink or two later and Klaus was at a table with Howie and the boys. Across the way, Dave was catching up with Benny. As he sat there, he counted three girls who tried to make a move on Dave. They were promptly, but politely, shot down. There was a satisfied smirk painted on Klaus’ face, knowing he was the object of desire of the man seemingly every girl here wanted. And no wonder, the top three buttons of Dave’s shirt were undone and Klaus could see the definition of his chest from here.

Still smirking, Klaus got up from the table. “ _Daaaave,_ ” he called as he swayed back over to him. “Hey, Benny,” he acknowledged. Then he placed a hand on Dave’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I want you to come fuck me in the bathroom.”

And really, how could Dave say no to that?

As Klaus sauntered away towards the bathrooms, he let a single finger run down Dave’s back, causing him to shiver. Dave laughed as he was completely flustered and almost uncomfortably turned on by the whole thing. He watched Klaus disappear into the bathrooms. He turned to Benny. Wordless, he gave him a shrug and then left to follow Klaus. Benny chuckled as he watched him go.

Dave pushed open the door and walked by the stalls to the larger one at the end, where he saw Klaus’ shoes. He pulled open the stall door and Klaus’ arms were immediately around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Dave had to blindly feel behind him for the handle to pull the door shut and lock it.

Klaus started undoing the rest of the buttons on Dave’s shirt, opening it up and letting his hands wander around his warm skin. Dave started returning the favor, pulling Klaus’ shirt up. Klaus made him stop when the shirt was around the back of his neck.  

“I can’t have this delicate touch the floor,” he said, making Dave chuckle. Then he kissed him as he started undoing his buckle. Klaus made quick work on his own pants, pulling them down until they around just one ankle, not bothering to completely kick them off. Dave hooked his hands around the back of Klaus’ thighs, easily lifted him, and pushed him against the wall.

“You look so damn beautiful tonight,” Dave breathed against Klaus’ skin.

“Mmm, thank you,” Klaus hummed as he grinded himself against Dave. “You look quite tantalizing yourself.” Dave chuckled at the compliment. His laughter turned to sighs as Klaus planted open mouth kisses along his neck.

While Klaus was busy, Dave adjusted his legs so they were tighter around him. “Hold on,” he warned before letting go. Klaus was still leaning on the wall for support, but he was able to hold himself up. Dave then rolled on a condom and applied a good amount of lube to himself.

He grabbed Klaus’ hips to line himself up, then slowly had Klaus slide down on him.

Klaus groaned as he felt himself adjust. “Oh yeah, baby,” he sighed. Then he started nibbling on Dave’s ear, pulling a moan out of him. As Dave started to move in slow, steady strokes, he felt Klaus’s legs tighten around him.

“Faster, baby,” Klaus breathed. Then Dave adjusted how he was holding Klaus. With one hand on a thigh and the other curled around his waist, he picked up his pace.

“This good?” Dave asked. Klaus nodded and kissed him. He found Dave’s tongue and sucked on it lightly, making him laugh a bit. “You’re silly,” Dave said before adjusting his angle and going a bit faster. Klaus yelped and Dave felt finger nails dig into his shoulders.

“ _Fuck,_ you feel so good,” Klaus sighed. He buried his face in Dave’s neck. “You always feel so good.”

And then the bathroom door swung open and Klaus nearly shrieked as Dave all but stopped immediately.

“Why’d you stop?” Klaus whined. Dave just shushed him. He once more adjusted how he was holding Klaus, moving both hands to under his ass. Slowly, he moved them away from the wall and he stood in front of the toilet facing the door. Klaus gave him a quizzical look.

“In case he looks under the stalls?” Dave whispered. Klaus stifled a laugh and playfully swatted at Dave’s shoulder. The guy who came in was over by the urinals. Feeling daring, Dave started moving Klaus achingly slow up and down on him. Klaus bit onto his shoulder to muffle a half-moan/half-laugh.

Then Dave gave a single, harder thrust that made Klaus let out an involuntarily squeal. “ _David Katz,_ ” he whispered. Dave shushed him, but he was smiling. Then he did it again. He felt nails dig into his shoulder once more as Klaus laughed harder into his neck.

They heard the faucet running and then the door opened, signaling the guy was leaving. As soon as the door clicked shut, Dave stepped forward and all but slammed Klaus against the stall door. He exclaimed as he hit his head.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” Dave said quickly.

“You’re fine, big guy,” Klaus said. “Now, _please,_ will you keep fucking me?” And he sounded absolutely obscene as he asked this. Dave grabbed onto his hips to steady him and then fucked him at a rougher, faster pace.

“ _Ohh, yess,_ ” Klaus cried and Dave was convinced he was going to have claw marks on his back for the next three days. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d wear them proudly. And right now, Klaus’ neck looked long and inviting, so Dave decided to mark him up as well.  

Klaus’ toes curled as he felt himself approaching climax. ” _Dave,_ babe. I’m almost there,” he sighed.

“Mm, me too,” Dave moaned into his neck. He changed his angle for a final time, really trying to get Klaus’ prostate each time. It didn’t take long before Klaus was tapping on his shoulder.

“I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come,” he said, struggling to keep quiet. With a final thrust, Klaus came up onto his own chest.

One thing about Klaus that drove Dave completely crazy was how much he squirmed and shook when he came. Dave had to hold still as Klaus finished, feeling the legs around his waist twitch and then go limp.

When Klaus was done, Dave slowly pulled him off of him and set him down. Klaus’ legs were weak, but that wasn’t a big issue here since he went straight to his knees.

“Don’t need this anymore,” Klaus said as he rolled off the condom and tossed it into the toilet. He took Dave’s cock in his mouth and then wrapped his hand around the base. Dave sighed and leaned his shoulder against the wall. He dug his fingers into Klaus’ messy hair and pulled a little bit. Klaus looked up at him and smiled around his cock.

“ _Fuck,_ you look so good like that,” Dave said. Klaus saw how red Dave’s face and chest had gotten. He smirked, proud of himself, and flicked his tongue along the underside of Dave’s head, making him moan.

Then Klaus pulled off of him, looked up at Dave through his eyelashes, and said, “Like what?” As Dave stammered out an answer, Klaus slowly started to lick along his length.  

“You know what,” Dave growled low.

“Hm, I don’t think I do,” Klaus teased, just licking at his head now.

Dave shuddered and Klaus could feel his thigh muscle twitch under his hand. Klaus was now only loosely jerking Dave off as he looked up at him with anticipation.

“ _Klaus, please._ ”

“I wanna hear you say it,” Klaus purred.

Dave looked down at him and, even from down here, Klaus could see how wide his pupils were blown. Dave sighed and opened his mouth to speak.

And then another man walked into the bathroom. Two of them, by the sounds of it.

“Man, did you see her?” One guy asked.

The other guy laughed and said, “Yeah, she was like…” And then they both laughed.

Dave and Klaus’ eyes widened when they recognized the voices. It was Jake and Connor.

Dave momentarily freaked out, then he bent down to scoop Klaus up. He let out a tiny yelp as he was lifted and Dave shushed him. He held Klaus bridal style as they stood there quietly, waiting for the guys to finish. When they finally left, the two burst out laughing.  

“We’re gonna get caught,” Dave said.

“Well, not unless you put me down and let me finish you off,” Klaus said.

Dave looked at him with a bit of a cocky smile. “Oh, yeah?” Klaus nodded and Dave set him down. Then he went right back to his position.

“So, what were you saying?” Klaus asked as he took Dave’s cock in his hand again.

Dave laughed and looked down at Klaus. He was looking up at him with his bright green eyes and a coy smile. And really, Dave couldn’t keep a face like that waiting. With that same cocky smile, he finally told him, “I was gonna say… You look pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

Klaus smirked. “There it is.” And then his mouth was back on him. He tried to get as much of Dave in his mouth as possible, but it was difficult at this angle. He used his hand for what he couldn’t reach and bobbed in a fast, steady rhythm.

It didn’t take much longer for Dave to come. He moaned again as he felt Klaus’ throat swallow around him. “ _Fuuuuck,_ ” he groaned as Klaus finally released him. “You’re something else, you know that?” Dave said. He was leaning more of his weight against the wall and he looked completely wrecked.

“But that’s what you like about me,” Klaus said and he was sure he looked no different. Dave helped him stand up and then he grabbed onto his face to kiss him. He didn’t find it gross to kiss after oral. In fact, he found it incredibly hot. He liked tasting himself in Klaus’ mouth. And Klaus wouldn’t disagree.

They kissed a little longer until Klaus got the case of the giggles. “What?” Dave asked, laughing with him.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Klaus said.

“Did what?”

Klaus had another giggle fit before he could answer. “When the first guy came in,” he said. He did a thrusting motion, making Dave laugh harder.

“You think he told people not to come in here?” Dave asked. Klaus’ laugh went silent as he grabbed at his stomach.

“Yeah, but Jake and Connor didn’t get the message!” Klaus said through his giggles. And they continued laughing as they pulled their clothes back on. Klaus went to the sink to splash water on his chest to clean himself up a bit.

“Hey,” Klaus said. “You think they heard us?”

“Nah.”

“Do you think the other guys are suspicious, though?”

His question only made Dave laugh again. “Baby, they’ve probably _been_ suspicious.”

“Okay, yeah, fair.”

They were able to sneak back out undetected. When Howie asked where they went, they told him they “must’ve gotten lost on the dance floor.” This elicited a very dramatic eye roll from Benny.

They fit in a few more dances before ordering drinks and retiring to a table. They were just a few words into their conversation when another woman came over to hit on Dave.  

By Klaus’ count, this was girl number four. He watched amusedly, hiding his smile behind his hand, as Dave politely, but awkwardly, declined her advances. She was still smiling when she walked away, but as she approached her group of friends, who were so obviously watching, she gave them a shrug. They looked visibly disappointed.

“I think it’s funny how, out of the two of us, girls always flirt with you,” Klaus said.

Dave cocked his head. “Why’s that funny?”

“Because I’m the one that actually likes girls,” Klaus laughed. “But I clearly don’t look it,” he said as he gestured to himself.

Dave blinked. “What?”

“Oh, I never told you? I’m pansexual.”

More confusion on Dave’s part. “What? What’s that mean?”

Klaus now realized that this time period hasn’t met that word. “Oh, it means I’m attracted to anyone, like, regardless of gender.”

“Oh,” Dave said. “I’ve always heard that one referred to as ‘bisexual’.”

“They’re more or less the same.”

There was a pause as Dave looked at him. “You never fail to surprise me,” he said. But Klaus could tell Dave was starting to feel a little nervous about it. He could tell by the way Dave was lightly tapping his knuckles together. His eyes flickered between Klaus’ eyes and the table a few times before finally saying, “So, you like girls, too?”

Now, Klaus didn’t mean to be inconsiderate, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the way Dave asked that. He was so nervous, like he didn’t realize he was the grand prize and Klaus would never trade him in for anyone else.

“Honey, we _literally_ just fucked in the bathroom,” Klaus said. Dave gave a light, but stiff, laugh and Klaus playfully swatted at his arm. “Besides, I’ve always had a preference for men, anyway.”

Dave visibly sighed and Klaus felt a twinge of guilt. Was he really that worried about it?

“Hey, sorry for laughing,” Klaus said. Then he added, “You’re just super cute when you’re nervous.”

“Yeah, _I’m_ the cute one,” Dave said and then he grabbed Klaus’ wrist to pull him back out onto the dance floor.

 

Unfortunately, the fun and games had to come to another end. They were about two weeks into Benny’s first patrol since he got back. It had been silent all that time so they really weren’t surprised when the VC sprung up on them. But they were coming at them with more force this time. They weren’t backing off like they normally do in situations like this.

Klaus, Dave, and Howie were grouped together. A little far down to their left was Trevor, Jake, and Connor. Nico, Benny, and Clyde were to their right. Jake and Connor were the first to fire. Their brute strength was their greatest asset and they weren’t letting up on the enemy soldiers. They took out a good bit of them as they split up and moved down their flanks.

Klaus had made up a fun little routine with Dave and Howie. One would shoot while the other two would use the ground cover to sneak a few feet away from them. Then the one firing would duck and one of the other two would pop his head up to start firing. And they would go around like that, like little groundhogs. It was entertaining to everybody else and it was just weird enough to confuse the hell out of the VC.

They executed their little strategy for a few rounds before Dave spotted a development on the far side.

“There’s a group sneaking off at our 2 o’clock, I’m focusing on them,” Dave called to the other two.

“Copy that,” Klaus said. Then him and Howie continued their crawl until they got to a large, branchy tree. “You got this?” Klaus asked.

“Absolutely,” Howie answered and started climbing up the tree. That was one thing the troop discovered about Howie pretty quickly. The boy was like a human squirrel. That’s how he escaped death his first few battles. He would’ve had a different, briefer story if it weren’t for his climbing capabilities.

As he climbed, Klaus kept firing from his place on the ground to draw attention away from him. Once Klaus was enough of a distraction, Howie moved to a different tree and got an advantage from there.

When Howie was good, Klaus ducked and rolled away from the rapid fire, aiming for behind a fallen log. When he popped his head up, he was surprised to see Nico there.

“Nico?” He asked. “Where are Clyde and Benny?”

“You’ll see,” was his answer. Then he unleashed a gleeful scream as he unloaded his gun into three different men. Klaus shuddered, but decided to stay there with him. Their numbers were thinning out anyway. He was starting to hear cries of frustration and panic on the other side and he couldn’t help but feel a sharp pain in his chest.

This was never easy.

He started to flash back to his first combat. How he literally froze and curled up on the ground. He’ll never forget that raw fear he had. Like death could’ve come over him at any second. How he shivered despite it being so hot and humid. How even the gunfire and stomping boots of his own men terrified him. Like they wouldn’t be able to see him and they would step on him, leaving him squashed on the ground like a bug.

He realized he couldn’t see or hear very well right now. He stayed ducked behind the log and tried to even his breathing. “Startin’ to feel super weird out here, Nico!” He called. When he didn’t get an answer, he panicked. “Nico?” He forced his eyes to focus on his surroundings. It appeared Nico had left without warning. Or maybe he did say something, but it was lost on Klaus.

“Nico?!” He called again. He looked around but didn’t see him. He could still hear commotion going on at all sides. “Nic—“ In front of him, he heard a branch break and his name was called out from somewhere to his left. And then there was rapid gunfire all around him.

He shut his eyes and he brought his hands up to his ears, but it was pointless since they already went deaf. The ground shook violently as smoke quickly surrounded him, filling up his lungs.

And then all was still and quiet.

As his ears came back into focus, he heard cheers and yelps. He looked in front of him to see a body on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. It appeared that, in his confusion, someone had snuck up on him. But who got the kill shot?  

Klaus turned around and saw behind him a large rock outcrop. Perched at the top were two men. Clyde and Benny.

“Woohoo!! That’s what I’m talking about!” Clyde yelled. He shook Benny by his good shoulder, making him wince a little through his smile. “Welcome back, man!” Clyde told him. His smile was big and proud as it lit up his whole face.

“Sky Soldiers!” Trevor called up at them.

“Haha, yeah!” Clyde said as he pointed at him. Then he got up, raised his gun above his head, and bellowed out to the clouds: “SKY SOLDIERS!! WE’RE THE 173RD, DON’T YOU FORGET IT!” And the soldiers below him whooped and cheered and gave each other celebratory slaps on the back.

 

The next opportunity they got, they all went out to get commemorative tattoos for the occasion. They went back and fourth on the design, but settled on a skull with a rifle and jungle plants poking out behind it. Above it was a banner that read: “173rd Sky Soldiers.”  They all decided to get it on their biceps.  

“Wait ‘til I tell my mom I got my first army tattoo. Ohh, she’ll flip,” Howie said excitedly.

“Or, you could just not tell her. Like me,” Dave said.

 

 It had taken _a lot_ of convincing for Dave to participate.

“Man, come on,” Clyde had told him. “It would be downright _insulting_ if you didn’t.”

“I dunno, that’s a pretty big deal for me.”

“So’s being in the army,” Benny chimed in. Clyde pointed at him as if to say, _Yes! Exactly!_ But Dave just shrugged.

“Okay, Dave, maybe this’ll convince you,” Klaus said as he leaned forward on his elbows. “How about I get mine done at the same time as you?”

Dave squinted his eyes at him, but Klaus could see a hint of a smile. “ _Fine._  I’ll just never be able to tell my mother.”

A few men had snickered at this. “Aren’t you, like, thirty-one?” Trevor asked.

“Yes, but I’m also Jewish,” Dave said, eliciting a few laughs and sounds of comprehension from the group.

“Alright, so everyone make sure to write to Dave’s mom to let her know—“ But Clyde couldn’t finish his sentence because Dave started swatting at him.

 

Klaus kept his deal and got his done alongside Dave. Klaus was used to the sensation of a tattoo machine, but Dave was wincing almost the entire time.

“How ya feelin’, Dave?” Klaus asked when they were about ten minutes in.

“Like I’m getting stabbed by a thousand needles all at once,” he spoke through his teeth. Klaus just laughed.

“Well, you’re doing just fine.”

Just like with the tiger tattoo, the design was way more beautiful once in their skin.  Dave couldn’t stop admiring it in the mirror. Klaus poked his head up over Dave’s shoulder in the reflection.

“Glad you got it?” He asked.

“Yeah, completely,” Dave answered. His smile was warm as he looked around the room at his troop. “I’m glad we all did this together.”

“Of course, man. Wouldn’t wanna be doing this with anybody else,” Clyde said as he clapped Dave on the back.

“Agreed,” Benny said. They all voiced their agreement with shared smiles and extra pats on the back. Klaus and Dave caught each other’s eyes and they held on for a moment, giving each other soft smiles.

“Hey,” Howie said, breaking up the moment. He was holding up an artist’s book and pointing at a design. “I think I might get one of these temples for my next one.”

Klaus laughed. “Might wanna earn a few more stripes first, tiger.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Dave: *do some gay shit*  
> Clyde, drunk off his ass: yeaaaahhh babeeeyyy!!!!
> 
> ALSO. I’m aware the 173rd was actually an airborne brigade, but that didn’t fit my ~vision~ lmao, so take Clyde and Benny on top of a big ol’ rock.
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter seven coming soon ~ <3


	7. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any dialogue written in brackets ("[...]") is spoken in Vietnamese.

As everyone stepped out of the tattoo parlor, Clyde started spit-balling ideas of what they could do next before prime clubbing hours. As he counted on his fingers, Klaus tapped Dave on the shoulder to speak in his ear.

“I wanna go back to that boutique,” he told him. Dave smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Leave it to me,” Dave whispered back. He gripped lightly onto the back of Klaus’ shirt with his fingers, making him slow down his pace. Dave kept his eyes forward to make sure no one was looking back to notice them. And sure enough, within a few seconds, they were far enough behind the pack that they could escape down an alleyway.  

Klaus giggled as Dave pulled him around the corner. “You think they’ll notice?"

“Eh, probably.”  

“What if they get suspicious?”

“Let ‘em,” Dave said. He smiled at Klaus and poked his ribs, making him giggle again. This was the first time they felt comfortable enough to completely abandon the group and do their own thing. Whatever happens, they know Benny and Clyde will have their backs.

They let their hands brush together a few times as they walked along the crowded street. They both were very obviously hiding a smile.

“So, compared to New York, what’s this town like?” Dave asked.

Klaus snickered. “You know, New York isn’t really that glamorous. It’s kinda shit, actually.” This made Dave laugh hard, his hand was on his stomach as it bounced up and down.

“Did I tell you I was born there?” Dave asked.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, we moved to South Dakota when Molly was three.”

“So, you know it’s shit!” Klaus laughed and Dave joined him.

The bell of the shop rang as Dave held the door open for Klaus. The same shopkeeper as last time was there and she recognized them.

“Welcome back!” She called to them. They greeted her politely and then took to the aisles.

“So, were you born in New York, too?” Dave asked as he held a shirt up to himself. Klaus shook his head with a frown.

“Nah. Netherlands.”

“Oh, wow,” Dave said. “Explains your name.”

Klaus smiled at him. “What’s that mean?”

“Nothin’. Your name’s cute.”

Klaus blushed. “Oh. Thanks. Yeah, um, Mother tried to name us based off the countries we were born in.”

“That’s neat. Where’s everyone else from?”

Klaus shook his head as he flipped through some shirts. “All over. There’s, uh, Germany, UK, Russia, Mexico…”

“Mexico?” Dave asked, amused. “You should tell Clyde that.”

“That wouldn’t be weird?”

“Nah.”

Klaus shrugged. The conversation tapered off as he got distracted by a rack of scarves. He wrapped a dark purple one around his neck and the material was soft against his skin. He turned to look at Dave, but he was still over by the shirts. Klaus took a light green scarf off the rack and then snuck up on Dave. He pounced and wrapped it around his neck.

There was a brief moment of panic on Klaus’ part as he realized he shouldn’t have snuck up on Dave.  But Dave just laughed. He didn’t flinch because, despite his few shining moments, Klaus was still shit at being stealthy.

Dave turned towards him and laughed as Klaus pulled on the scarf, making him step closer. If Dave could right now, he’d plant a dozen kisses all over Klaus’ face. He looked out the corner of his eye to the front and saw the shopkeeper looking at them. She quickly looked down when she saw Dave was looking over.

“This color actually looks really nice on you,” Klaus said as he fidgeted with the scarf.

“Thanks, this looks good on you, too,” Dave said, tugging at the scarf wrapped around Klaus’ neck. Klaus sighed a little at the sensation.

“Careful, Dave,” Klaus warned with a wink. Dave’s eyebrows shot up in slight surprise.

“You’re ridiculous,” he said as he playfully shoved Klaus away. Klaus pulled the scarf off of Dave’s neck, then took his off and went to put both of them back. When he turned around, Dave was still over by the shirts.

“Something catch your eye, Mr. Katz?” Klaus asked.

“Yeah, you,” Dave said without missing a beat.

 Klaus nearly froze as he stood there and stared at him. A smile slowly grew on his face. Dave wasn’t looking at him, but his face was bright red. He cleared his throat.

“I, uh, I’m not great at shopping,” Dave admitted.

“Okay, we’re absolutely going to return to what you just said,” Klaus said, raising a finger. Dave laughed silently. “ _But_ , let me first help you with that problem.”  

Klaus started with picking a shirt the same light green as the scarf. Then he held it up to Dave and had him hold the hanger. He then took the sides of the shirt and wrapped them around Dave’s torso.

“If it reaches your sides, then it’ll fit,” he said. He continued giving him little tips like this, but mostly they were excuses to touch him. They eventually made their way over to where the accessories were.

“You a hat person?” Klaus asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. “Probably are, you’d look great in a hat.”

“I guess, but I’m not—”

“—OH!” Klaus yelped. He was pointing at the ceiling speakers and when Dave focused his ears, he heard _Where Did Our Love Go?_ by The Supremes playing over them. Klaus was smiling at him as his shoulders shimmied. “This is such a fun song,” he said. “Not a fan of Soft Cell’s cover, though.”

“Who?” Dave asked, but Klaus kept dancing, touching nearly everything at eye level. Dave stood and watched him with an amused, warm smile. Klaus put on a pair of sunglasses as he softly sang along. He made dramatic faces and laughed at himself. He didn’t notice Dave was staring until he turned around. His voice softly trailed off as he slowly took the glasses off.

“What?” Klaus asked. Dave was standing in the middle of the section, arms crossed, and leaning on a supporting pillar. _He has no idea how cute he is,_ he thought to himself with a head shake.

 _“What?”_ Klaus asked again.

“Nothin’,” Dave said. “Was just gonna say nothing here is really my style.”

“Honey, you dress like a straight man. Of course nothing here is your style.” And Dave knew he was joking, but he felt his heartrate spike up when Klaus called him “Honey”.  The rest of the sentence didn’t even really reach his ears. He’s called him that before, but every time he did, it made him think of a future, close or distant, where Klaus would call him that every day. Multiple times a day.

“Hello?” Klaus asked. Dave came into focus to see Klaus was waving his hand in front of his face. He blinked a few times.

“Sorry,” Dave said. “I was distracted.”

“Clearly,” Klaus said and he stuck his tongue out at him. “Wanna play a game?”

 “Hm?”

“So, let’s split up and pick things out without the other, and then we’ll do like, a little fashion show,” Klaus said.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to pick something out for the other person?” Dave asked.

Klaus just blinked at him. “Perhaps, but I may or may not already have something in mind,” he said. Dave laughed and shook his head.

“Should’ve known,” he said. “Alright, let’s do it.”

“Meet me in the dressing rooms in fifteen,” Klaus said with a wink.

And then they split up. Dave didn’t really try, he more or less just picked up things Klaus already said would look good on him. He didn’t even have the intention of buying anything, except maybe a shirt Klaus was praising more than the other ones.

Those fifteen minutes went by slower than anything. But not because Dave was bored or annoyed, he was just anxious to see whatever it was Klaus wanted to show him. He’d never been in a situation like this. As in, he’d never been with somebody who was actually _fun_ and liked to do new, random things.

Across the store, he saw Klaus’ messy hair move about the racks of clothes. He caught Dave staring and moved his body to hide whatever clothes he was holding.

“No cheating!” He called, drawing the attention of some of the other patrons. He grimaced at himself. “Sorry,” he said meekly, ducking behind a rack. Dave chuckled at him with a shake of his head.

When Dave’s watch told him fifteen minutes had passed, he made his way to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were.

“Klaus?” He called quietly.

“In here,” he heard Klaus’ voice say behind the last door. Dave had his hand on the doorknob.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, but keep your eyes closed.”

Dave glanced to make sure no one was looking, and then he closed his eyes and opened the door. He stepped inside and he let it click shut behind him.

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“No,” Klaus said. He cleared his throat. “Um, so,” he suddenly sounded nervous. “This is more like something I would wear back home.” He felt the need to explain before the big reveal. “You can open them now.”

Dave opened his eyes to see Klaus leaning against the far wall with his hip popped out to one side. He was wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt with thick, vertical, light blue stripes. It was cropped, so it stopped right below his bellybutton. His hip bones stuck out underneath it. He already looked good just in the shirt.

But what was most eye catching was what he chose to match it with. He was wearing a muted yellow-green skirt that stopped about two thirds down his thighs. The fabric flowed as he nervously moved his knee back and forth. He anxiously chewed on his lower lip as he watched for Dave’s reaction.

Dave’s eyes must’ve moved over him at least five times. His mouth was open and he passed a hand over it briefly to close it. Klaus was already nervous, but it was getting worse as Dave still wasn’t saying anything. He was ready to cry when Dave turned around, but he only did so to put his stuff down and lock the door.

Then he stepped closer to Klaus to check him out more. He licked his lips as his eyes moved up and down his legs. He’d never seen a man in a skirt before. That just wasn’t a thing in his time. It wasn’t even something he’d ever thought about. Let alone, did he think a man would actually look good wearing one. It was a forbidden thought. But Klaus? Klaus looked _wildly_ good in a skirt.

“Wow,” Dave said. He was nodding now. He tried to search for more words, but fell flat. “Just. Wow.” He sounded breathless despite just standing there.

“Yeah?” Klaus asked.

“ _Yeah,_ ” Dave said as he pulled Klaus off the wall by his hips. He kissed him sweet as his fingers dug into Klaus’ skin. He pulled away to check him out again. “This is… this is. Yeah. Really good.” Klaus laughed and covered his mouth, but Dave moved his hand away to kiss him again.

“So, you like it?” Klaus asked, amused.

“ _Like it?_ Yeah, I’d say so. I really, really like it,” and he pulled Klaus in for another kiss. His hands moved down on Klaus’ hips, one trailing to the back to cup his ass. The fabric of the skirt was super soft and it made Klaus’ ass all the more holdable.

“ _Mmm,_ you really like it,” Klaus whispered. His hands were up in Dave’s hair now.

“ _Yeah,”_ Dave breathed.

“Show me how much you like it,” Klaus said in a tone of voice that made Dave’s heartrate pick up.  

In that moment, Dave decided the rest of the store no longer existed. He pushed Klaus back up against the wall and went to his knees. Klaus laughed, proud and delighted. Dave held onto him by the backs of his legs and started kissing along his thighs.

“You’re so sexy,” Dave breathed against his skin. He pushed the fabric of the skirt up as he kissed higher on Klaus’ thighs. He was moaning just from that and Klaus tilted his head back with a smile. Klaus thought he looked cute in the skirt, but he didn’t think he would have this big of an effect on Dave. Guess he should’ve known.

Then Dave was finally pulling down his briefs. They were soft and baby blue.

“These are cute, too,” Dave said as Klaus stepped out of them. Then Dave’s head ducked under the fabric and Klaus gasped when he felt his mouth on him. He moved soft and slow on him, as he wasn’t completely hard yet. But it wouldn’t take long to get there.

“ _Fuck,_ Dave, this is so hot,” Klaus gasped.

“You’re telling me,” Dave said from under his skirt, making Klaus laugh. He rolled his head to the side and caught their reflection in the mirror. They looked like something out of an R-rated movie and Klaus had to stifle another laugh.

As hot as it was having him under the skirt, Klaus really wanted to watch Dave as he worked him over. He slowly gathered the skirt in one of his hands and brought the other to Dave’s hair. He looked up at Klaus, with his cock still in his mouth, and smiled.

“Wow, you’re right, that _is_ a good look,” Klaus said. Dave laughed, but it got stuck in his throat for obvious reasons.

Dave’s movements were soft and sweet. His calloused hands continuously moved up and down Klaus’ legs, giving an occasional squeeze. Klaus pulled on Dave’s hair a bit and it made him moan. The vibrations of his throat on his cock in turn felt really good for Klaus. He sighed and let his head fall back against the wall once more.

Dave took a break to start kissing and nibbling along Klaus’ hip bones. Klaus moaned and his hips lifted off the wall as his back arched. Dave had to anchor him again, pushing at the tops of his thighs. When he nibbled at a certain spot at his hip, he felt Klaus twitch and release a moan. He decided to latch down right there and give him a hickey.

Klaus was nearly squirming underneath his hands and lips. “ _Dave,_ oh, my God…”

Dave laughed softly and kissed along where he just bruised. “I could stay down here all day,” he breathed.

 

A salesclerk wandered around the near empty store. It was slow today and she decided she’d tidy up the dressing rooms. She peaked into room 1 and saw some clothes tossed about. With a sigh, she picked them up and draped them across her arm. She didn’t see anything in room 2. When she got to room 3, the door was closed.

About to turn away, she heard an odd noise coming from the room. Concerned, she tapped lightly on the door, but there was no answer. She decided to peak under the door just a little bit, but quickly wished that she hadn’t. With a gasp, she shot straight back up. She skittered down the hall, hand over her mouth, as her face flushed deep red.

The shopkeeper was up at her desk, flipping through a magazine. The fast pace her employee was approaching her made her look up.

“[What’s wrong?]” She asked.

“[Those two men, they’re...,]” She looked around and then leaned in closer. “[I think they’re having sex.]” She said the last part so quietly, her boss could barely hear her.

Then her boss’ head rolled back as she let out a big laugh. “[Was it the two boys from before? About time.]”  The salesclerk gave her a mixed look of surprise, shock, and confusion. “[You think they’re the first to do so in there? Let them do what they wish. They’ve been in here flirting for the past hour.]”

 

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Klaus laughed. And then Dave was back on him.

When Dave was concentrating really hard on something, his eyebrows would furrow together. He had a cute, sexy look of determination about him. That’s how he looked now as he bobbed at a faster pace on Klaus’ dick. His lips were red and wet as they wrapped around him.

Receiving head was probably lower on the list of sexual pleasures Klaus enjoyed, but when it was from Dave, it was perfect. Especially now, in such a scandalous setting. He’d be surprised if they got away with it.

“Yeah, like that,” Klaus sighed as he tugged lightly on Dave’s hair again. “ _Fuck,_ this is so good,” he said, more to himself that time.

Even though Klaus gave plenty of warning, Dave still let him cum down his throat. Dave usually didn’t swallow, but he also didn’t want to leave a stain in this room. When he stood back up, Klaus kissed him and groped at his crotch, where he could feel Dave was plenty hard.

“No, it’s okay, you don’t have to,” Dave said.

“Nuh-uh,” Klaus said, shaking his head. “None of that.”

“If they aren’t already suspicious, they’ll definitely _get_ suspicious if we stay any longer.”

“Then let them,” Klaus said as he dropped to his knees. He kept a hand on Dave’s crotch, petting him over the fabric. He looked up with his best puppy-eyes. “Please?”

If this were a cartoon, Dave’s head would have exploded from that image. He nodded, breathless, and let Klaus return the favor.

 

“I guess we’re getting the skirt,” Dave laughed when Klaus was finished. Klaus snorted and nodded.

“Absolutely. Well, I was gonna get it anyway,” Klaus admitted. “Just didn’t realize you’d like it so much,” he teased. He changed back into his pants, folded up the skirt, and then started to make his way out of the room. Dave grabbed him by the arm and turned him around.

“Wait a min,” he said. He pulled Klaus in and held his face in his hands. He stroked his thumbs along Klaus’ cheeks and kissed him firm and slow. “You’re too pretty,” he murmured. Klaus smiled as Dave kissed him again.

He picked Klaus up and had his legs wrap around his waist. It wasn’t meant to be sexual, he wouldn’t go for round two in this situation, anyway. He just wanted to hold Klaus as he kissed him. Really feel his weight in his arms and keep him close.

Klaus smiled and wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck. He felt so weightless and safe when Dave held him. It actually made him feel high. And not in the way the drugs made him feel. That was an escape. That was fleeing the nightmares that tormented him at all hours. The high he felt around Dave filled him with comfort, so much so it bubbled up over his chest, past his throat, and flooded into his brain. It had the feeling of feathers dancing on his skin.  

“You wanna grab a bite to eat?” Dave asked. Klaus kept his forehead pressed against Dave’s as he nodded.

 

The next day met them with another mail delivery. Klaus didn’t know why he was surprised when Sophie had written him back in a separate letter just for him. She thanked him for telling her what happened to Benny. She continued to say she was glad that the army wasn’t full of total assholes and that Benny had found the few good gems. It was a simple letter, but Klaus teared up a bit reading it.

“Oh, Klaus, one more thing,” Benny said, reaching into the box. Then he tossed him a brush. “Might work better than your fingers.”

“Dude, just how detailed _are_ your letters to her?” Klaus asked.

“Detailed enough, _dude._ ”

“Hey, why does he get his own personal letter from Sophie?” Nico asked. He was sitting across from Klaus, looking through his own mail.

“Yeah, that’s not fair,” Trevor said.

“Guess she just likes me best,” Klaus said with a shrug. He was met with a few fake laughs.

“If that’s what floats your boat,” Jake said.

“Hey, who’s your letter from, Howie?” Clyde asked to change the subject. He had watched Howie place a picture in his helmet and got curious.

“Oh.” Howie’s face was starting to get red. “No one.”

“ _Come ooon_ , lemme see,” Clyde said. When Howie still didn’t give a straight answer, Clyde put him in a lose headlock. “You got yourself a little girlfriend, little Howie?” He teased as he gave him a noogie.  Howie’s face continued to turn darker shades of red.

Connor was the one who snatched the letter away from him. He shook it out and cleared his throat as he gazed at it. He didn’t mean to read any of it, he wasn’t that cruel, he just wanted to see who the sender was.

“Aww, knock it off, Clyde,” Connor said. “It’s just his _momma.”_   But he only laughed as he said the last part and the others joined him.

When it had gotten too obnoxious, Klaus decided to shush them all. “Alright, alright, that’s enough. Leave the poor kid alone,” he told them.

“Hey, since when are you the mature one?” Nico asked. When Klaus stuck his tongue out at him, Nico smiled and said with a wink, “There he is.”

Dave, who absolutely did not participate in the Taunting Of Howie, leaned in to whisper with the kid. “Can I see the picture?” He asked. Howie nodded and tilted his helmet so Dave could see in. It was a picture of Howie with his mother. He was wearing his uniform. It was presumably taken right before he was deployed.

“She’s pretty,” Dave said. “You have her smile.”

“Thank you,” Howie said as his face returned to a normal color.

Nico got up, brushed himself off, and then walked over to Klaus. He leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I got some special mail for you, too, buddy,” he said. He gave Klaus a pat on the shoulder and then made his way into the tent. Klaus watched him leave and then turned to Dave, who had his lips pursed together. He gave Klaus a shrug and then turned the other way to keep chatting with Howie. Klaus sighed and followed Nico into the tent.

“Only the best for you,” Nico said, plopping a baggie into the palm of Klaus’ hand.

“Thank you,” Klaus said, putting his hands together in a prayer.

“And one for me, too,” Nico said, producing a pill from his own stash. Klaus took one of his and they clinked them together like champagne glasses before swallowing them.

“So, you’re really starting to fit in around here,” Nico said as he sat down on his cot. Klaus joined him.

“Yeah, you know. Always been a quick learner, I guess.”

“Yeah, it shows,” Nico said. “What’s your letter from Soph say?”

“Oh, she was mostly just congratulating me on not being a total idiot,” Klaus said, making Nico laugh. “Who are your letters from?” He pointed at the stack of envelopes on Nico’s pillow.

“Ah, they’re from my old man, mostly,” Nico said. Klaus nodded, but he was frowning a bit. “Yeah, he’s like my best friend.”

“Really?” Klaus asked. He couldn’t imagine such a relationship.

“Yeah, he uh… he wasn’t very pleased when I got the draft notice,” Nico said, almost laughing. “You know, he emigrated to the states with my Ma, they’re from a small town right outside of Rome. He wanted me to have more opportunities in life. And, well, look at me now.” He gestured to himself and smiled as one does when they’re in on the bigger joke.

“Yeah…,” Klaus sighed, matching Nico’s smile with a sad one. His face turned to something pensive. “Your last name is Ralph, though, right? That doesn’t sound Italian.”

“Yeah, I changed it when I was eighteen. My dad understood, he has a very unfortunate last name.”

“What is it?”

“Formaggio.”

Klaus snorted and covered his mouth. “Cheese?”

“Cheese.”

 

Klaus and Dave decided to stay at camp that night. Sometimes it was nice when almost everyone else was gone. And almost everyone was since this was the last R&R day for the month. Klaus was lounging on his cot and doodling in the notebook Benny gave him. Dave made his way over and plopped down on his cot next to Klaus. The force of this made a small piece of paper that was placed on his pillow fly into the air and land on the ground.

Dave looked at Klaus, who shrugged, but was clearly trying not to smile. Dave smiled at him and bent down to pick up the paper. He unfolded it and smoothed it out with his index finger and thumb. There was a note scribbled on it. He reached over to the makeshift table between their beds for his reading glasses. He put them on to read:

_“You look super cute with your reading glasses on.”_

Dave put the note down with emphasis as he looked at Klaus. “Really?” He asked and Klaus snorted. This wasn’t the first note Klaus had left for him. Ever since Benny gave him the notebook, he started leaving little messages for Dave. A lot of them were more romantic than this particular one, but there were silly ones, too. So far Dave’s favorites were, in no particular order:

  1. _I like the sound of your laugh_
  2. _Your face looks like it was sculpted by angels. Totally unfair_
  3. _When you yell at the other guys for misbehaving, it turns me on a little bit_



Dave continued to watch Klaus, who was smiling to himself as his hand moved in sure patterns. “You’re cute,” Dave told him quietly

“ _You’re_ cute,” Klaus said, not looking up as he continued to doodle in the notebook.

“Watcha got there?” Dave asked. Klaus smiled shyly and then tilted the book up so Dave could see. Dave looked at the page fondly. “Butterflies?”

“Yeah,” Klaus said, starting to blush. “I used to draw on my bedroom wall all the time. Not just doodles, but also poetry and whatever else I felt like.”

Dave watched him as he spoke, his head resting in his hand as he laid on his side. He was trying to picture the imagery Klaus was describing. A childhood bedroom is quite a personal thing. Any sort of glimpse into Klaus’ past he was willing to give, Dave gladly took.

“That must’ve been quite the scene,” Dave said.

Klaus snorted. “Yeah, if you saw what sort of things I wrote on my walls, you’d run for the hills.”

“Doubt it.”

Klaus looked at him, then looked back down. “Well, I don’t have any walls here, so.” He meekly shook the notebook in front of him. “I’m using this now, I guess.”

“So, why butterflies?”  Dave asked. Klaus shrugged.

“They’re easy to draw,” he laughed. “And I guess I’ve always liked them. How free they are. And I like how there’s no limit to what they can look like.”  

Dave nodded. “Yeah, I get that,” he said as he took his own journal out. Klaus looked at him, and suddenly there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. He leaned over and gently took the journal from Dave’s hands. Dave just watched him with a raised eyebrow, but let him take it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t read it,” Klaus said.

“You won’t be able to, anyway,” Dave said, a little amused. Klaus looked at him with confusion and then opened up the book. All the writing was in Hebrew. Of course. He chuckled softly, smiled at Dave, and then turned to a blank page at the very back.   

He clicked his pen and started drawing a butterfly. One just for Dave to have. He tried to make it as artistically sound as possible and it turned out pretty nice. Klaus was actually a decent artist. He vaguely remembers Ben telling him he was good at drawing.  

When he was finished, he gave the journal back to Dave. When Dave saw what he drew, he held the page up to his heart and smiled adoringly at Klaus. In that brief moment, he resembled a teen who just received a love letter from their crush.

“I love it,” he told him. Klaus blushed and then sunk down lower onto the cot. They both laid there, looking at each other fondly and enjoying the peace.

They talked late into the night. Those who stayed at camp had already fallen asleep. There was a break in the conversation and the night fell silent. Klaus started thinking about what lies ahead and Dave could sense the shift in mood.

“What’s wrong?” Dave asked, as if he didn’t already know.

“I don’t want to go back out there,” Klaus said.

“Yeah, me neither.”

“I’m tired of it. And I miss my bathtub.”

Dave chuckled softly. It didn’t surprise him that Klaus was a bath person. He imagined Klaus would take long bubble baths. He allowed himself to picture himself there with Klaus and it hurt his heart a little bit. To think of them in a time and place where they’d be safe and sound. In warm, clean water where they could hold each other and be content. How he longed for it.

Because he just didn’t care about being caught anymore, Dave untucked his hand from under his pillow and reached out between their beds. Klaus mimicked his motion and reached out for him. Dave took his hand and laced their fingers together. Their hands then relaxed as they let them hang between their beds.

It was quiet now. The only sounds they could hear were the chirping of the bugs outside. They let their lullabies lull them to sleep as they continued to hold onto each other for dear life.

 

They were right to be scared. They were attacked the first day back out in the jungle. Which is the worst time to get attacked because it’s the least expected. It couldn’t have been planned by the other side, there are so many different rotations, there was no way they knew it was this troops’ first day of return. It just worked out in their favor.

They were laughing about something, totally mundane and dumb, when a sharpened bamboo stalk was launched at Connor. It knocked his helmet right off and then punctured itself into a nearby tree. Heads turned quickly as they tried to ready themselves for battle in record time. Most didn’t even have their guns off their backs.

Nico and Clyde were ready, though. They did a decent job of holding some of them off. Klaus struggled getting his gun off its holster. His hands were shaking bad as his high of the day was peaking. He felt a hand on the back of his neck he could only assume was Dave’s because it pushed him down into the ground cover.

Rapid fire was going on over his head. He heard who he thought was Jake yell, “Bombs away!” before launching a grenade. They usually reserve those for bigger battles, but it seemed needed here. Klaus hated them. He covered his ears as the massive boom shook the ground. He took a few deep breathes before he was calm enough to finally get his rifle off his shoulder.

He stood back up with a hop, ready for action. It was surprisingly still now, but he was sure it wasn’t over. The VC were probably re-strategizing after that massive blow to their side. Klaus kept the scope up to his eye, looking for any movement.

“All clear on this side,” Clyde announced far from Klaus’ right. As if on cue, shots came from up in the trees. Klaus quickly crouched behind a bush to look for the snipers. He got one, and then another. As one fell, he landed on another soldier, knocking him out. It would be funny if it weren’t so horrifying.

 _Five would’ve been proud of that one,_ he thought to himself. He cursed himself and shook his head. He shouldn’t have let his mind wander to his family, especially not now. He took a big breath and poked his head back up to survey. And then something happened he wasn’t prepared for.

He was shot at. But it didn’t hit him, instead, it shot the rifle clean out of his hands. Now full of holes and smoking, it was completely useless.

“KLAUS!” He heard Benny yell and then there was an enemy soldier right in front of him, pointing his gun between his eyes.

 

When the Umbrella Academy went on missions, Klaus did either one of two things. The first thing is he would stay out of the way. He would gather and comfort any victims on the scene. He was handed this task because he had good charisma and could easily calm them down.

If there were no victims, then he had no choice but to help his siblings by fighting using hand-to-hand combat. They all grew up learning fighting techniques from their father because he didn’t want them to rely solely on their powers. But with Klaus, he never even used his powers on missions. He only ever used his hand-to-hand training when facing the bad guys.

That was something his siblings never understood. Anytime they were using their abilities to get the upper hand, Klaus was stuck fighting the old fashioned way. They’d never expect this, mostly because they never paid attention, but he could hold his own in a fight pretty well. He was quick and knew how to throw somebody off their rhythm. Especially if his opponent was not well trained in that style of fighting. Like right now.

 

It was time for a refresher on Hargreeves Fighting 101.

 

Step one: Block

This step played out a little different when the opponent had a gun. In a swift movement, Klaus dodged the end of the soldier’s gun and then grabbed the tip of it. He locked his elbow so he had more control and pointed it upward right when he fired. The solider looked at him and Klaus could see the confusion in his eyes. He tried to wiggle the gun free, but Klaus’ grip was tight.

Step two: Knee

With his free hand, Klaus latched onto the soldier’s shoulder for leverage, pinching on a pressure point, and then sharply pulled him down to knee him in the ribs. Klaus heard the air rushing out of the guy and he can’t say it was a sound he missed. The soldier coughed and clutched his abdomen, clearly caught off-guard.

Step three: Disarm

With his arm still locked on the end of the gun and the soldier distracted by the pain in his ribs, Klaus snatched the rifle completely out of his hands with very little resistance. 

Steps four and five: Gouge and Silence

Klaus twirled the rifle in his hands and caught it so the butt was facing down. He then executed two well-placed strikes. One in the throat, which brought the soldier to his knees. The second strike was to the forehead, knocking him out immediately. Klaus sighed, twirled the gun again so he was holding it correctly, and then turned away.

 _Are you proud yet, Dad?_ He thought as he walked away.

There was no time to celebrate this small victory because the troop decided to retreat. Both Clyde and Dave grabbed Klaus by the arms to drag him in the right direction and then he was on his feet running.

“Hey, man, where the hell did _that_ come from??” Clyde asked with a laugh once they were safe. He was grabbing at Klaus’ shoulders, shaking him excitedly.

“Yeah, I don’t think any of us got that type of training,” Benny laughed.

Klaus was smiling big, too, but he couldn’t think of a believable answer. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish. He looked to Dave, but he was just as confused and excited as the others. How Klaus wished Ben were here so he could help come up with some sort of answer.

“I dunno, I just…. Did that,” Klaus said lamely. And that was somehow good enough. It elicited some boisterous laughs and many celebratory slaps on the back.

They unfortunately had to keep going, but they did give Klaus some space. He lingered at the back of the line with Dave once more.

“That was amazing back there,” Dave whispered to him. Klaus blushed and waved him off.

“It was nothin’.”

“No, really,” Dave said. “Very impressive.” Their faces were equal shades of red. Dave because most things Klaus did made him blush. And Klaus still wasn’t used to being complimented so much. He would much rather just kiss Dave then respond properly to the compliment. But he couldn’t do that now.

“Thank you,” Klaus finally got out. Dave chuckled softly and nudged Klaus’ shoulder with his.

 

Benny asked Dave if he wanted to do a shift of night watch with him when they settled in for the night. Dave accepted the invite happily. It had been a while since he had some good quality Benny time.

“How’s Soph?” Dave asked once they found a good perch.

“She’s good,” Benny said. “Great, actually. She said she’s thinking of going back to school to get her Masters.”

Dave looked impressed. “Wow. In what?”

“Psychology. She mostly does volunteer work now, but she wants a bigger job.”

“I get that,” Dave said. “She’ll do great, whatever she does.” He said this as he continued to survey the land.

“Thank you,” Benny said. He peaked at Dave out of the corner of his eye. “How ‘bout you? How’s Klaus doin’?”

Dave’s smile was shy. “He’s good.”  

“That was quite the show he put on today,” Benny said. “Must be proud of him.”

Dave laughed softly as he thought about the events from earlier. “Yeah,” his voice was dreamy. “Yeah, he’s—“ He looked at the ground and noticed a piece of paper tucked into his boot laces. How the hell did he get one in there? He pulled it out, unfolded it, and read it to himself.

 _I did it for you,_ it read. Dave’s smile grew as the message sunk in.

“What’s that ?” Benny asked. “Is that from him?”

Dave nodded and then put the note in his pocket with the others. “Yeah, it was.” He tried to go back to the task at hand, making a pass of the land, but he noticed Benny looking at him with amusement. “What?” He asked.

“That’s quite the guy you got there, Dave,” Benny told him.

“Thanks,” Dave said with an easy smile. “Yeah, he’s…  He’s the best thing that’s come out of all this.” He gestured to the land around them.

Benny smiled, but it looked a little sad. “I gotta ask, though.”

“Hm?”

“What’s it like? Being with someone who’s fighting alongside with you?”

“Oh, it’s fucking terrifying,” Dave said, almost laughing. “My head thinks of fucked up shit every day.” He looked down and wrung his hands together as he thought of more to say.

Dave’s eyes locked with Benny’s before he continued, “But then he looks at me. And he smiles. And I feel like maybe there’s a chance things will turn out alright. Like we’re meant to be alright.”

“You love him, don’t you?” Benny asked.

Dave stared at him for a moment, then turned away. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Just a heads up*: I'm seriously considering tweaking a few things in the first two chapters. Nothing major, but enough that I wanted to bring your attention to it. This will probably happen sometime in the next few weeks, before chapter 8 is posted.
> 
> The Hargreeves Fighting 101 steps that Klaus did not demonstrate:  
> Step 6: Throw  
> Step 7: Jump  
> Step 8: Adapt  
> Step 9: When in doubt, use Ben. 
> 
> I had a lot of fun with this one. A lot of these scenes were planned from the very beginning, so I was very excited to unleash them on y'all. 
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter eight coming soon ~ <3


	8. October First

Klaus spent his actual birthday deep in the wilderness. It had rained for a week straight and everyone and everything was covered in a thick layer of mud. Klaus had gotten his boots stuck countless times. He would fall as he tried to yank himself free, each time adding a new layer of mud to his exterior. It was smeared across his face, in his ears, and caked onto his hair.

“Surprisingly, this isn’t the worst I’ve looked on my birthday,” he said.

“You look like a prince to me,” Clyde said. Klaus winked at him.

“Woaaah, wait a min,” Benny said. “It’s your birthday? How old are you, Hargreeves?”  

“Thirty.” Klaus sighed and threw his arms in the air in a mock celebration.

“Oh, yeah, you’re old now,” Dave said. Klaus made a face at him.

“How’s it feel not being in your twenties anymore?” Trevor asked. He was only twenty-five himself.

“Well, it’s not like my twenties were that glamorous,” Klaus said. “Or my teens for that matter.”

“Says the son of a billionaire,” Nico chimed. Klaus lovingly flipped him off.

Dave elbowed Klaus gently and spoke low to him. “Don’t worry, our next time off, I’ll be sure to make up for all this,” he told him, gesturing all around them. Klaus just laughed in response. It wasn’t that he doubted Dave or anything, he just didn’t like thinking of making future plans while they were out here. He felt like it could jinx them.

But Dave kept his promise. When they arrived at camp two weeks later, he pulled Klaus behind the medical tent, out of sight. “So, I was thinking,” Dave told him. “If we split the cost, we could get a hotel room for a few nights.”

Klaus looked genuinely surprised by this. “Really? A hotel?”

“Or motel. Whatever we can get, I just thought it would be nice, you know, be away from everyone for a while.” He stepped a little closer to Klaus, as close as he dared. “And we can _actually_ celebrate your birthday,” he whispered.

Klaus closed his eyes and smiled as he imagined it. He reopened them and they twinkled up at Dave. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds heavenly,” he answered, playfully poking at Dave’s chest. Feeling bold, and rather lucky, Dave took Klaus’ hand in his and brought it up to his lips for a quick kiss.

When the bus dropped them off in town, the troop all wanted to get lunch together. Dave wasn’t the only one who wanted to celebrate Klaus’ birthday.

“To our little tiger,” Clyde said, holding up a beer. “No longer a cub, but still as clumsy as one.” The men laughed as they clinked their bottles together and knocked them back.

“Now I pass the torch,” Klaus paused dramatically, “To Howie,” he motioned to the younger man at his side.

“Pretty sure Howie has already _been_ the baby,” Trevor said. He turned towards him. ”Are you even old enough to drink?”

“I’m eighteen!” He defended.

“Oh, to be so young again,” Klaus sighed.

“Yeah, welcome to the thirties club, man,” Clyde said, then he ruffled up Klaus’ hair. Klaus shooed his hand away.

“Yeah, well, good riddance to my twenties. They were terrible,” Klaus said before raising his bottle again and taking a few generous gulps. The men laughed and some let out a few ‘Awww’s at his expense.

For the next hour, they were the definition of eat, drink, and be merry. In the midst of the conversation, Dave tapped on Benny’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Klaus and I want to have a little time to ourselves for a while, can you cover for us?”

Benny chuckled. “Yeah, I gotchu, loverboy.” 

               

Klaus wasn’t picky at all, but Dave wanted to do a little better than a motel, so they settled for a cheaper hotel. Dave asked Klaus to wait outside while he booked the room. He did this to reduce the amount of suspicion. Two men getting a single might raise some eyebrows. When Dave was handed the keys, he went to meet Klaus outside.

“We’re room twelve, third floor,” he told Klaus as he handed him the second key. “Can you find your way?”

Klaus looked at him in disbelief. “ _Yes,_ I can find the room.” He paused. “Wait, am I meant to, like, wait a bit and then follow you?” He wiggled his eyebrows as he asked.

Dave chuckled. “Yeah, that would probably be best.” He squinted at Klaus. “Why do you ask it like that?”

“I dunno,” Klaus said. “It’s kinda sexy,” he said with a shimmy.

Dave smirked and gave Klaus a once over. “Alright, well, I’ll be waiting for you,” he said with a wink. And that made Klaus so flustered that he didn’t have a response as Dave turned and walked through the hotel doors.

Klaus may or may not have gotten a little turned around. He wandered through the hallways, the repeating pattern of the light green, vertical striped wallpaper didn’t help him much. The carpet was an off-white and it matched well with the greens. He at least thought the place was cute, he especially appreciated all the plants outside and in the windows. He was a fan of hotels in general, he was easy to please, but he really liked this one. Dave knew how to pick ‘em.

He finally rounded a corner and was met with room twelve. He fumbled the keys as he unlocked the door. He cracked it open and peaked his head inside to look around the room. The wallpaper had the same vertical striped pattern, but this time the colors were red and white. The carpet was shaggy and a medium grey. They had used dark wood for the furniture. It looked really nice despite it being apparently so cheap. Klaus was impressed. “Dave?” He called softly

“I’m in here,” Dave’s voice carried from where Klaus assumed was the bathroom. He walked out into the room and gave Klaus a brilliant smile. “The bathroom’s great,” he said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. Klaus beamed at him and finally stepped all the way inside, closing the door behind him. He let out a little squeal as he ran to close the distance between him and Dave.

Klaus quite literally threw himself at Dave, wrapping his arms around his neck. Dave caught him with a laugh and spun him around the room. He kissed Klaus as he held him in the air. Dave was so incredibly excited to have him all to himself for the next two days. He giggled into Klaus’ mouth as he gave him a little extra squeeze.

As they kissed, Klaus held Dave’s strong jaw between his gentle hands. He felt Dave’s big arms tightening around him and he kicked his legs a bit in excitement. “Is there a shower in that bathroom?” Klaus asked as he pulled away. Dave laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

“Wanna test it out?” Klaus asked. Dave smiled at him and answered by carrying Klaus to the bathroom without another word. Klaus laughed and grabbed at Dave’s shoulders for support.

It _was_ a pretty nice bathroom. It was well lit and the tiles were a soft baby blue. Klaus didn’t have time to take in more than that right now, as he was too busy ripping his clothes off to get into the shower. They didn’t waste any time, hopping right into the stream of water.

“ _Oh,_ I’m not used to warm water,” Klaus laughed, letting the water splash his face. Dave laughed and pulled Klaus in. His hands roamed up and down Klaus’s torso, appreciating his toned muscles. He felt Klaus grabbing at his shoulders and biceps. With a smirk, he squeezed his hands at Klaus’ hips, which made him step forward and press their thighs together.

Dave was only an inch taller than Klaus, so they were at a height where Klaus could feel Dave’s soft dick press right up against his. It was a funny sort of sensation and he giggled against Dave’s lips. He wiggled his hips back and forth, making their dicks rub against each other more. They laughed together now as it was both ridiculous and cute.

Still giggling, Dave started pressing kisses to Klaus’ shoulder and neck. “You’re so damn cute,” he said. He steadied Klaus’ hips and pressed himself into him in a more normal manner, slowly grinding his hips. As he did this, he started sucking bruises to Klaus’ neck. Klaus moaned in response and pulled on Dave’s hair.  

They were both only semi-hard still. To fix that problem, Klaus traced a finger down Dave’s body to his cock and started jerking him off. Dave sighed as he still worked on Klaus’ neck. It was starting to hurt a little, but Klaus didn’t mind that one bit. He twisted his wrist as he worked Dave over, getting him nice and hard.

Klaus’ hand felt wonderful, but Dave had other plans in mind. He finally unlatched himself from Klaus’ neck, where he had left a deep purple bruise, and steadied Klaus’ movements.

“Hold on,” he said. He reached past the shower curtain to the sink counter, where he had placed some condoms before. Klaus saw what he had in his hand and let out a hardy laugh.

“You sly dog,” he teased. Dave playfully shushed him and told him to turn around as he ripped open the condom. Klaus happily obeyed, putting his hands on the tiles and spreading his legs a bit.

Klaus really loved shower sex. He didn’t have many opportunities to partake in it, but he took advantage of each one. There was something so fun and freeing about it that he really enjoyed. And he was extra pleased to be doing it with Dave.

Klaus steadied his legs and braced himself for Dave to push into him. He always started off so slow and gentle. And Dave was the only person he’d slept with enough times to know they were consistent like that.

However, they were quite eager, so it didn’t take a lot of time for Dave to quicken his pace. He planted kisses along Klaus’ shoulders, giving extra attention to his tiger tattoo, as he thrusted into him. And now that he had a sense of privacy, Klaus really let his vocals ring out.

Klaus moaned a _lot._ So much so, it was almost ridiculous. He also talked a lot of encouragements. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, like that,” he would say. Or, “Ohh, a little faster,” and, “ _Mmm,_ fuck yeah, you feel so good, babe.” He would sigh as his head went limp against the tiles. Dave ate it all up, continuing to kiss along his skin and smile as Klaus praised him.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Dave told him. “Glad you’re all mine,” he breathed onto the back of Klaus’ neck. He was sure to leave more bruises on Klaus’ hips from his fingers pressing into him. Klaus laughed, almost deliriously so, both at Dave’s words and at how strong his grip was.

Dave fucked him faster as he was approaching climax, really not holding anything back. Klaus’ moans grew louder. Dave was sure that if anyone was on the other side of that wall, they would have heard him. But he couldn’t bring himself to give much of a fuck about that right now.

Dave had his arms wrapped completely around Klaus now. “I’m so close, baby,” he breathed into his ear.

“Mmm, yeah, come for me,” Klaus sighed. And that had such a strong effect on Dave, he nearly came immediately. His forehead fell to Klaus’ shoulder as he gave his final thrusts, riding out his orgasm.

“Ah, holy shit,” Dave said as he slowly pulled out. He quickly got the condom off, pulled back the curtain a bit, and then threw it in the general direction of the trash can. Klaus snorted at his haphazard attempt. Dave swiftly turned around to bring his attention back to Klaus. He gently took his cock in his hand and lazily stroked him. “What would you like me to do?” He asked him.

“Whatever the fuck you want,” Klaus answered as he leaned his back against the tiles.

Dave breathed out a laugh and then went to his knees. He took Klaus in his mouth. The weight of his cock on his tongue was anchoring as he started to bob on him. It didn’t take long at all for Klaus to finish. He kept his weight all on one leg and let the other one twitch wildly. Dave laughed and steadied Klaus’ legs so he wouldn’t fall.

Dave stood back up, cradled Klaus’ face with his hand, and kissed him sweetly. “Does the shower meet your approval?” He asked him. Klaus laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, definitely,” he answered with another kiss.

“I’m really excited to be here with you,” Dave said and kissed him again.

“I’m excited, too,” Klaus said quietly. Dave kissed him once more before he reached for a wash cloth and body soap. He started to lather it up, but instead of washing himself, he gave Klaus a hesitant look.

“May I?” He asked. Klaus blinked at him, but nodded a yes. Then Dave started to wash Klaus off. Klaus was a little bit awestruck by it as he’d never taken an actual shower with someone before. He smiled shyly at Dave and he smiled back at him, just as shy.

Dave gave him a quick kiss before telling him to turn around. He started washing off Klaus’ back now. “This is so nice,” Klaus thought aloud. He giggled when Dave spent a little extra time at his ass.

“Sorry, it’s just so fun to play with,” he murmured. Klaus laughed again.

“Don’t be sorry, big guy,” he said, shaking his hips at him. Dave blushed and then crouched down to wash off Klaus’ legs. He used both hands now, one with the cloth and one without it.

“Okay, turn around again,” he said. Klaus did so and then they both started laughing.

“Huh, this looks familiar,” Klaus joked. Dave shushed him and continued to suds him down. Klaus nearly fell over when Dave washed his feet because it tickled so much. When he got to his dick, he gently used just his hand to clean him. Klaus couldn’t help but laugh as he felt his face turn red. It felt weird, but good, to be touched there in an almost non-sexual way.

“Okay, okay, my turn,” Klaus said, snatching the washcloth from him. He rinsed it off and lathered it up with more soap. He was a bit more playful with it, leaving little kisses along Dave’s skin as he washed him.

“You have _such_ a nice ass,” Klaus said as he washed him there. Dave laughed and turned red down to his neck. “No, really, even Clyde thinks so.”

“You and Clyde talk about my ass?” Dave asked. Klaus smiled at him sheepishly.

“He said you could bounce a quarter off it.”

“Hm, not sure how I feel about that,” Dave said, but he laughed and pulled Klaus in for a kiss.

They took turns rinsing off and Dave stared at Klaus as he stood in the water. He was used to seeing Klaus’ face and hair wet. Which was cute on its own, his thick curly hair flopping like a mop in his face. But now he could see Klaus’ whole body and he looked like a masterpiece as the water dripped down his tan skin.

Klaus smirked, knowing Dave was enjoying the view. “Okay, my turn to stare at you,” Klaus said as they switched positions. And it was just as good a view for Klaus. He bit his lower lip as he watched the water glide down Dave’s abs and muscular thighs.

As Dave rinsed himself off, he asked Klaus, “Can I wash your hair, too?”

“Uh, _yes,_ are you kidding? Didn’t even have to ask,” Klaus said. It was _heavenly,_ too. Dave took his time, really massaging Klaus’ scalp. His hair was soft and thick and Dave enjoyed the feeling of it swirling around his fingers. Klaus’ eyes were closed as he leaned heavily into Dave’s touch. If Klaus could purr, he would. He nearly fell over because Dave’s movements made him feel so light and delicate.

Naturally, they took turns and Klaus shampooed Dave’s hair as well. His curls were tighter and closer to his head, so Klaus took extra care not to tangle them. Dave had his eyes closed and his face was a bit flushed. It felt so delightful, having Klaus’ fingers scrub at his scalp.

It was an experience Klaus had never had before. It was probably the most intimate moment of his life. It was the type of affection and vulnerability he never though he’d be able to share with someone. Getting wrapped up in a towel and drying off with Dave, it was the most safe he’d felt in his entire life.

And now that they had that out of their systems, Klaus could take in the rest of the room. There was little desk with two comfy chairs seated at it. Above that was a window with a nice view of the city, Klaus could see the skyline sharp against the horizon. By the door was a little closet, next to that was a mini fridge and a coffee pot. They even had a small TV on top of a stand perched in the center of the wall, though the thing looked hysterically ancient to Klaus.

But most notable was the queen sized bed in the center of the room. The duvet matched the wallpaper, but it was still charming.

“How about this room?” Dave asked.

“How about this bed?” Klaus sighed as he flopped unceremoniously onto it. “I’m gonna sleep the entire time we’re here,” he voice was muffled due to his face being squished into the pillows.

“Well, I sure hope you don’t,” Dave said.

“I’ll do my best,” Klaus said, rolling over. “This is a really nice place. You did a good job.”

“Thank you.”     

“Now, why are you  standing over there?” Klaus asked, wagging a single eyebrow. He patted the spot next to him on the bed. Dave held up a finger and then quickly put on a clean pair of underwear.

“Sorry, I’m not as brave as you,” Dave said, referring to Klaus’ being butt naked on the hotel bed. Klaus looked down at himself.

“On second thought, you’re right,” he said and got up to copy Dave’s idea before they settled onto the bed.

They laid close to each other, still basking in the afterglow of the shower. They were clean and soft and warm, probably the first time they were that very combination while together. Klaus rested his head on Dave’s shoulder and he had an arm thrown across his chest. Dave had an arm around him and was tracing slow, absent-minded patterns between Klaus’ shoulder blades. He tried to let Klaus take a nap, but his own stomach rumbling woke him up. Klaus laughed once he realized what had happened.

“You hungry, big guy?” Klaus asked.

“Just a little bit.”

“I don’t suppose they have room service?”

“I mean… Maybe. But, I _would_ like to take you out for a birthday dinner,” Dave said. “Just us.”

Klaus sat up to look at Dave. He searched his eyes. It just now occurred to him that this was the first birthday he was celebrating without his siblings. A birthday just for him. He never knew what it was like to have all the attention just on himself for an entire day. And now Dave was willing to give him that. Klaus gave him a smile and a kiss.

“I’d like that,” he told him. They got up and started pulling their clothes back on. Klaus’ movements slowed as a thought occurred to him. He’d really love to experience dinner to the fullest, but it had been almost a full twenty-four hours since he last took a hit. He didn’t think the beer at lunch was enough and he didn’t want to risk seeing anything that would cause him to freak out while out with Dave. When he was just about ready, he started searching through his small bag for his pill baggie. He took one out and was ready to pop it when he felt a hand on his arm.

“Do you think you can hold off on that for now?” Dave asked gently.

“What?”

“At least while we’re at the hotel? I know it’s not easy for you, but it would be nice.” Klaus looked hesitant. He sighed and brought a hand to Dave’s arm.

“I honestly don’t think I can make that promise,” he told him. It hurt to say it. Dave looked a little shaken, but not defeated.  

“Okay, then, at least wait until after dinner?” He asked.

Klaus pressed his lips into a tight line. He supposed this could serve as some sort of test. He nodded. “Okay, I can do that.”

 

“Do you do seafood?” Klaus asked as they stepped outside.

“I can do seafood,” Dave said.

“Good, that’s one of my favorites.” They got a taxi and drove to a nice restaurant that always caught Dave’s eye, but he never had a reason to go. Until now.

“So, tell me,” Dave said as they were seated at their table. “What would a Klaus Hargreeves back home do for his birthday?”

Klaus fiddled with the silverware. “Well, growing up, we would all celebrate our birthdays on the same day.”

Dave’s eyebrows shot up. “That must’ve been a disaster,” he said. Klaus laughed and pointed a finger at him.

“That’s precisely the word I was about to use.” He thought for a second and let out a sigh. “But, when we got older and I moved out, I just… didn’t.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah, I never really had anyone to celebrate it with, so.” He gave a shrug.

“Really? No handsome boyfriends to treat you to dinner?” Dave teased.

Klaus blushed. “Nope, not ‘til now.”

Dave gave him a warm smile. “Crazy how the timing always worked that way,” he said.

“What?”

“You said you were never with someone while on your birthday?” Dave asked. Klaus now saw where his confusion lied.

“Oh, no, I mean. I’ve never been in a relationship before, period. Like, at all,” Klaus clarified.

Dave found that hard to believe. His face was blank as he blinked at Klaus. Then he started to laugh. “Good one,” he said, reaching for his water.

“No, I’m being serious,” Klaus said. Dave’s smile fell.

“No, way,” Dave said. “I don’t believe that.”

Klaus tapped his fingers on the table. “Well, I mean, there _was_ that one guy, but I don’t really count that.”

“Oh? Why not?” Dave asked.

But then they were interrupted by their waiter. Klaus just ordered the same thing Dave did, which was a grilled salmon dish. After they gave their order, Dave clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. “So, why don’t you count that one guy?” He asked. He didn’t mean to pry, but he was too damn curious.

Klaus sighed with a laugh. “It just wasn’t serious, ya know? We were only together for like… three weeks tops.” He waved his hand dismissively.   

“Interesting.”  

Klaus smirked at him. “What about you? Break any hearts?”

Dave laughed awkwardly. “Eh, there were a few. None as serious as you, though.” He peaked up at Klaus shyly. Klaus smiled at him, a little lopsided, but it only grew bigger. Dave started smiling right back at him and it felt so intense for a minute that Klaus had to cast his eyes downward.

In another time and place, Dave would’ve reached over the table to hold Klaus’ hand by now. He settled for lightly knocking on Klaus’ ankle with the toes of his boot. Klaus breathed a soft laughed and tapped his foot back.

Dave suddenly felt very nervous as he thought about their last exchange. He could feel the back of his neck starting to heat up. He took a deep breath and said, “So, this might be a heavy thing to ask, but now I’m wondering.” Klaus cocked his head at him. “Do _you_ … consider this serious?” He gestured between them with his hand.

_What a silly question_ , Klaus thought to himself. He looked at the kind man in front of him. How he made him feel so warm and light and looked after. Of course he was serious, how could he not be? It was the most serious he’d ever been.

His eyes went soft as he looked at Dave. Even in the dimly lit restaurant, Dave could pick out the deep green of his irises. He held his breath as his palms started to feel clammy. Then Klaus was nodding and a smile slowly stared to spread across his face.

“Yeah, yeah, I do,” he told him. Dave let out his breath and smiled brightly at him. Klaus raised his eyebrows at his reaction. “Wow, were you really that nervous?” He asked.

“Uh.” Dave cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “But, to be fair, you always make me nervous.”

Klaus snorted. “Really?”

“Yeah. I could hardly talk to you the first day you were here.”

“Well, that didn’t stop you,” Klaus teased. Dave knocked at his ankle a little harder this time, making him laugh.

“Yeah, I’m glad it didn’t,” Dave said with a small smile.

“Me, too.”

And then delicious smelling, sizzling plates were presented to them. Klaus graciously thanked the waiter and picked up his fork and knife, ready to go. But then Dave started to say the bracha and Klaus felt the need to wait for him. He put his silverware down.

“Blessed are you, Hashem, creator of the universe, for everything is made by you,” he recited. After the simple words, Dave picked up his own cutlery and began to cut into his meal.

That was the first time Klaus had actually heard him say it so clearly aloud. He usually whispered it, even the other times they dined together, probably to not draw attention to himself. But this time he just went for it. Klaus thought it was nice to finally understand what he was saying. It wasn’t much, but to him, it showed they were equally comfortable with each other.

"What?” Dave asked, realizing Klaus was staring at him.

“Nothing, nothing,” Klaus said quickly, finally starting to eat. He took his first bite and nearly moaned. The food was glorious, so much so that they forgot to keep talking for the first few minutes they ate. That was a thing in the army. You would get so used to the almost inedible chunks you were given for rations that you forgot what real food tasted like.

In the midst of the quiet, Klaus could feel his anxiety peaking. He felt the inevitable would happen soon. He hasn’t seen anything. Yet. Mostly because he wasn’t allowing himself to. He was either staring at his food or staring at Dave. Missing the conversation, but also because he needed the distraction, Klaus took a bite and spoke around it. “So, you talk to Benny and Clyde about me?” He asked.

Dave looked at him in disbelief. “ _You’re_ asking _me_ that question? You just told me you and Clyde talk about,” He looked around and his voice got quieter. “ _You talk about my ass.”_

Klaus’ shoulders shook as he laughed. “Yeah, well, _do_ you?” 

Dave ducked his head a little. “Yeah, sometimes,” he mumbled.

Klaus gave a single clap. “I knew it. What do you say?”

“Just…. Stuff,” Dave said meekly. Klaus huffed and Dave gave him a one-armed, defensive shrug. “I don’t know! Like, I showed Benny the drawing you made. And I told him about the notes you leave me.” He blushed as he spoke.

“Really?” Klaus asked. “That’s funny, because I told Clyde all about that time we snuck onto the bus and—“

“—How is everything?” A server asked them as he walked by their table.

Caught off-guard, Klaus started choking a bit. “I’m sorry,” he said weakly. He coughed more and slammed his chest with his fist. His face was turning a brilliant shade of red. He finally swallowed his bite. “I’m so sorry, it’s good. It’s excellent! I was just—“ he gave up. The waiter wasn’t offended, though. In fact, he found the whole ordeal rather funny, as did Dave.

“It’s very good,” Dave told him as he still chuckled at Klaus.

“Glad to hear. Sorry for the bad timing,” he said with a smile. “Please enjoy,” and then he walked away. There was a beat before the two men burst out laughing.

Dave cleared his throat. “So, what were you saying? You told Clyde what?”

Klaus waved his hand. “Nothing, it’s nothing,” he said. He purposefully shoved a big bite in his mouth so Dave couldn’t ask him again.

 

“Do you have room for dessert?” Klaus asked at the end of the meal.

Dave took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. His fingertips grazed along his stomach. “Possibly.”

“I’m craving ice cream,” Klaus said, tapping his chin. “Not here, though. Kinda want some fresh air.”

“That sounds nice.”

They went for a night walk through town, getting ice cream from a street vendor as they went.  Klaus deliberately exaggerated his licks at the ice cream cone, knowing Dave was watching his tongue. He liked to be a little bit of a tease at all times.  Exhausting the conversation at dinner, they mostly walked in a comfortable silence, occasionally sharing small smiles with each other. They were content to just enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the town.

It was weird, seeing this normal place and its normal inhabitants going about their normal lives. It was weird to think, just miles away, there were bombs and fire and snake pits and destruction. Just across the hill is where these two men experienced trauma, fear, and death every day. Yet, here they were, eating ice cream.

Klaus was so distracted by the thoughts that he hardly noticed the looming figures in the shadows. While it was dark out, it made it harder to distinguish between who was living and who wasn’t, but he had a pretty good instinct. Wanting to get away from the crowded streets, he surveyed their surroundings.

He saw a park bench overlooking a little river. It looked quaint and peaceful. “Wanna sit over there?” He asked Dave, pointing to the bench. Dave nodded and they sat down to finish their cones. Bathed in moonlight, they sat and enjoyed the evening breeze.

“So, thanks for dinner,” Klaus said.

“Yeah, my pleasure,” Dave told him. He pressed their knees together and smiled at him. “Hey, I just wanted to say, uh, thank you.” Klaus cocked his head.

“For what?” He asked.

“For waiting. To, you know.” Dave mimed taking a pill and Klaus nodded. “I know it probably wasn’t easy.”

“Yeah. You’re welcome,” Klaus nodded. His eyes flickered over to Dave’s. Both men had stunning eyes, Dave’s light blue and Klaus’ bright green. The moonlight reflected beautifully in them and they stared at each other, speechless.  

An idea struck Klaus’ mind then. Really, this was something he’d been wanting to do for a while, but a good opportunity never presented itself. He felt like now was finally a good time.

“Hey, so, for my birthday,” Klaus started. Dave tilted his head a bit to show he was listening. “I want to give something to you.”

The corner of Dave’s lips twitched into a quick smile. “You don’t have to give me anything.”

“No, it’s more…,” Klaus searched for the right way to express himself. He felt his hand twitch. “I want to _tell_ you something.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I feel like I owe you…. We’ll call it, some sort of explanation.”

“Okay,” Dave said slowly even though he wasn’t following.

“It’s about me. Or, really, it’s about… my addiction.” Klaus said the last word quietly. He searched Dave’s eyes for a reaction. He seemed a tad confused.

“Baby,” Dave spoke quietly. “You don’t have to tell me about this right now.”

“I want to, though,” he told him. There was a certain look in Klaus’ big, glistening eyes. He looked so open, yet _scared._ Dave took in a deep breath.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Yeah, um, I’m realizing this might not be the best place to do it, though,” Klaus said. His fingers nervously twitched as he looked around. 

“Okay, I agree,” Dave said. “Do you… want to go back to the hotel?”

Klaus nodded. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

They were silent as they made their way back. Dave had to resist the urge to place his hand on Klaus’ back. As soon as the door closed, Klaus sat down on the bed and leaned his back on the headboard. Dave joined him, the concern on his face was obvious.  

Klaus stared ahead as he thought it over. Even though this was something he’d been wanting to do, he never thought he’d actually do it. He failed to prepare a script. It was silent as he fiddled with the covers and thought of the best way to start.

“So, when I was twelve, I had tripped and fallen down the stairs. And I broke my jaw,” he gestured at his face. Dave winced. “I had to get it wired shut for… eight _insufferable_ weeks,” he sighed. Dave huffed out a laugh, but he didn’t say anything.

Klaus continued, “I was, uh…. Given prescription pain killers.” He stared ahead at the memory. The sweet release of being numb and finally knowing peace. His lower lip started to quiver. “I found out _reeeally_ quickly that I liked the way they made me feel,” he said with a nod.

He felt Dave stiffen up by his side. Klaus didn’t dare meet his eyes as he talked. It was easier to speak without looking at him, anyway, but he especially didn’t want to read his expressions. “They were just the escape I needed. From _dad_ and his questionable parenting tactics. From my siblings.” He saw Dave nodding from the corner of his eye.

“But, of course, the meds didn’t last forever. I eventually healed and I didn’t need them anymore. But I had gotten a taste of what an escape, a _real_ escape, could feel like and I wanted more.” He took in a shaky breath. He glanced at Dave’s eyes ever so quickly, but quickly looked away before he spoke again.

“I started using whatever substances I could. Daddy had quite the lavish liquor cabinet and I helped myself to it often,” he said, almost laughing. “And then I discovered weed when I was thirteen. And that was fine, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for.”

Klaus found it hard to continue. He was quiet for a long time, trying his best not to break. He closed his eyes when Dave put an arm around him. It was difficult, trying to piece together the rest of the story from his foggy memory. He took in a shaky breath and continued.               

“I think I was… probably fourteen or fifteen the first time I snuck out at night by myself. I discovered ketamine then. And then there were the raves. Ecstasy, shrooms, LSD, coke. All the party drugs. Those were definitely the most _fun.”_

A few tears started to slowly fall from Klaus’ eyes. His voice broke as he spoke, “And then there were the ones that _weren’t_ so fun. The first time I overdosed was from heroin.” He felt a hand on his wrist. He looked up at Dave to see he was crying. His eyebrows pressed together with worry.  

“Sorry, I—“ Dave’s voice broke.  “I just—this is really hard to hear,” Dave said.

“I can stop.”

“No, this is important,” Dave nodded. “You can keep going, if you want.” But Klaus was hesitant. To encourage him, Dave wrapped his other arm around him and pressed a few kisses to his forehead and temple. Klaus brought a hand up to Dave’s arm, just to hold onto something.

“Okay, so,” Klaus cleared his throat. “Where was I… Oh, yeah, the heroin. Yeah, after that it definitely went to shit. I got arrested a few times. I left home when I was seventeen and then I was just out on the streets.” He felt Dave nod slowly against him. “I overdosed a few more times after that. I’ve honestly lost count. And then of course all the rehabs.”

“I’m so sorry,” Dave whispered. He pressed his face into Klaus’ hair and kissed the side of his head.

“It’s okay. It’s no one’s fault but my own, really,” Klaus said.

“Hey, no, no,” Dave said, pulling back just enough so he could make eye contact with Klaus. “It’s not your fault. It’s just. Your circumstance.”

Klaus closed his eyes with a sigh. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.” Dave squeezed him tighter and kissed his temple.  “But, one cool thing about it, though,” Klaus said in his tone of voice where he’s about to make a joke, but what he says isn’t actually all that funny. “Now I can say I’ve died already.”

Dave blinked a few times. “What?”

“Yuuup. I’ve died three times, now. All from overdoses. The heroin was the first one, actually.” How Klaus’ tone of voice could switch so easily from devastated to shockingly casual was always jarring to Dave. Especially when talking about heavy subjects such as this. Klaus’ finger was even tapping his chin as he thought about it. “That’s why that never became… a _thing_. They flushed it all out of me.” He shuddered as he thought about that hospital experience. “I’ll never do that one again.”

“You know, that’s not the most wild thing I know about you,” Dave said. Klaus laughed but remained silent for a moment. He felt Dave’s thumb slowly rubbing at the skin of his hip.

“But, yeah,” Klaus continued quietly. “You said you were serious about me, so I thought you deserved to know who you’re really dealing with.” He finished with a shrug.

“Oh,” Dave said. “Well, thank you for sharing that with me,” he brought a hand to Klaus’ face and turned his head so he was looking up at him. Dave searched his eyes. “That must’ve been really hard for you. I really appreciate it,” his voice was still shaky from crying. He gave Klaus a kiss.  

Klaus suddenly felt and looked very nervous. “So, did it change your mind about me?” He asked, trying to sound like he was joking, but he really wasn’t. Not at all.

Dave tutted. “What? More like the opposite,” he said, which threw Klaus off-guard. His shock was easily read in his eyes. “Klaus, baby,” Dave started. “I want to be there for you. I’m going to be here for you.” And now Klaus’ tears were spilling over again. Dave wiped them away with his thumb. “I’ve known who you were from the very beginning,” Dave continued. “And you…. Struggling with an addiction isn’t enough to make me run for the hills.” He gave Klaus a sad smile.

More tears fell from Klaus’ eyes as he let out a small laugh. Dave shifted and brought his other hand up to Klaus’ face so he was completely holding it in his hands. His thumbs stroked across his cheeks. “Klaus,” Dave said. He took in a big, shaky breath. “Klaus, _I love you._ Ani Ohev Otcha. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Klaus stared at him, eyes barely blinking. He knew there was something about Dave. About the way he treated him, and how Klaus treated him in return. Why he tucked that briefcase under his cot seven months ago without a second thought. It was the feeling he got when Dave smiled at him, or when he made Dave laugh. It was the cause of the immeasurable fear that took over every battle, every day. Why the thought of losing him was so unspeakable and why it made his chest hurt so.

But it was also why he felt so safe right now. Why he was okay with sharing the most embarrassing side of his whole existence. It was the thing that he was missing all his life, during his childhood, at the Academy.

Love. That’s what he’d been feeling all this time. Of course.

A few more tears fell as his face broke out in a big, toothy grin. “I love you, too,” he said and it was probably the first time he’d ever really said it. And it was such an easy, wonderful thing to say.

Overcome with emotion, and because there was nothing really left to do, Dave pulled Klaus in for a kiss. And he _really_ meant it. This one was different, even from all the other kisses Dave had given him. Klaus didn’t know something as simple as a kiss could feel like this.

It was a slow dance. Peeling off each other’s clothes, getting warm and safe under the covers. They made love facing each other. Their lips never separated as they held onto each other tightly. Klaus cried softly through most of it and Dave kissed away every tear.

When they came, they just laid there, unmoving, for a very long time. Dave went soft while still inside Klaus. He kissed Klaus’ nose and whispered, “I love you,” once more. He was so excited that he was able to say that whenever he wanted to now.

Klaus smiled and nuzzled his face into Dave’s neck. He placed a few wet kisses there. “I love you, too,” he whispered back. Dave would’ve been just fine falling asleep like that, interlocked with Klaus, if the itch to get cleaned up didn’t eventually motivate him to do so.

Klaus hesitantly looked at him as he cleaned himself off. “So, this might be ill-timing, but can I…?” He gestured to his bag that was thrown onto the floor. Dave looked at it, then back to Klaus.

“You don’t need to ask me.”

“Okay, thank you,” Klaus said quickly, bringing his hands into a prayer. He pranced over to the discarded bag and started digging through it.

Dave watched him. “What are those, anyway?” He asked.

“Umm, I dunno the specifics, but they’re some sort of opioid.” He said this with a shrug before swallowing one. Dave looked at him blankly. “A pain killer.”

“Ah.”   

“Oh, Nico also gave me this as a birthday gift,” Klaus said. He rummaged through his bag and produced a joint. He wiggled it excitedly.

“Is that pot?”    

Klaus nodded and wagged his eyebrows. “Wanna try it?”

“Not particularly,” Dave said. Klaus huffed and put it back.

“Hmm, okay, maybe later,” Klaus said. “Hey, do you wanna see if the TV works?”

Dave laughed. “Yeah, sure. Why don’t you get back in bed, I’ll man the dials.”

He had to physically turn the controls on the TV, since there wasn’t a remote. There weren’t many channels, either. Mostly news and some sitcoms. It eventually landed on an animation opening Klaus recognized as the beginning of _101 Dalmatians._

“Oh, my gosh!” He said excitedly. He hadn’t realized the film was this old. “I loved this movie as a kid!”

Dave cocked his head. “It’s only a few years old.”

Oh, fuck. “Uh, I mean. I would’ve loved it, if it came out when I was a kid.” It was weak, but Dave didn’t question him. He probably just thought it was the pill talking. He let out a soft chuckle.  

“Alright, well, I’m fine with this,” he said. He turned the main light off and then got back into bed with Klaus. He rested his head on Dave’s chest and wrapped his limbs around him. Dave smiled to himself as he placed a hand on Klaus’ hip. He felt Klaus sigh and nuzzle his face into him more. The way Klaus cuddled reminded Dave of a small kitten. He huffed a quiet laugh to himself and brought his other hand to Klaus’ hair to gently play with it.

Klaus was teetering on consciousness for the majority of the film. Dave asked if he wanted him to turn the TV off multiple times, but Klaus insisted they keep it on until the end. When the credits finally rolled, Dave got up to turn the TV off. He managed to get Klaus out of bed long enough to brush his teeth and use the bathroom before completely tapping out.

It was the first time they could fall asleep together in a real bed. Klaus was barely able to mumble that he liked to sleep on his right side. Dave accommodated, getting into the left side of the bed. He laid behind Klaus, spooning him. They fit together well. Their thighs just met and Dave rested his face against the back of Klaus’ neck. He had an arm thrown around his waist and he felt Klaus loosely hold onto his wrist.

Klaus was asleep in seconds. Dave could feel his breathing become slow and steady. Dave let himself imagine that this was their actual bed. That they were in a house somewhere, safe from the jungle. Safe from the war. They had used their own shower,  watched their own TV, and now they were sleeping on their own mattress. And tomorrow they’d eat breakfast seated at their own kitchen table and they’d smile tiredly at each other as the fat birds on their porch outside whistled a gleeful melody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't fret, more Hotel Fun Times are still to come. 
> 
> Also, a quick note, I do start school again this week (I'm a college senior yayyy), so the updates are going to be even more sporadic as the semester goes on. But, don't worry! I'm definitely still going to be working on this. Especially now, since we're creeping onto a very big part of the story that I'm very excited to get to and have y'all read. >:3 
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter nine coming soon ~ <3


	9. October First: Part Two

Dave wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up. It was probably the most peaceful night he’s had since before he could remember. He didn’t even have a dream. It was just a warm, dark quiet that proved to be a struggle to let go off.

But the urge to sleep was erased when his mind came to and he recalled where he was. He opened his eyes and was met with the sight of a peacefully sleeping Klaus. A rarity. His face, just inches away, was smushed into the pillow, pursing his lips as he snored softly.  His hand was up by his face and his fingers twitches as he sighed in his sleep. His hair was messy and wild, but his face was calm. He could rival a painting.

It was an adorable sight to behold. It made Dave’s eyes crinkle as he smiled. He took in a deep, content breath and the smell of Klaus’ shampoo was still strong enough to linger in the air around their noses.

It was the most normal he had seen Klaus. And he didn’t mean that in an insulting way. It was more like it was the first time he looked how he was supposed to: clean, safe, warm. Not constantly feeling a sniper’s eye on him. Not avoiding snake bites and four foot long sharpened bamboo stalks. Not wondering if he’s going to see tomorrow. Not constantly worrying what he’d do if Dave didn’t.  

No, he looked like he was enjoying that special type of morning when you can sleep in as late as you’d like. No responsibilities, no cares. Just safe and sound with someone to share the warmth.  

Dave was also pretty sure this was the first night he’d known Klaus to not have a nightmare. He was usually quite loud and upset when he slept, waking Dave and whoever else was sleeping next to him on the jungle floor. But it had appeared that they both had spent the night in bliss.

Still smiling, Dave reached his hand up and held Klaus’ face as he continued to sleep. His thumb ever so gently traced along his cheekbones. He studied the contours of his cheeks and the way the bridge of his nose bent slightly. His skin was starting to show flaws from war, but it was still so smooth. Even the usual bags under his eyes seemed to be nonexistent. Dave wished Klaus could feel this peaceful all the time.  

Klaus stirred a little bit and Dave took his hand away, afraid he had woken him.  But Klaus just tiredly smacked his lips and nuzzled his face further into the pillow before going still again. It was about the cutest damn thing Dave had ever seen. He felt himself blush and a small laugh escaped him.

He brought his hand back up to Klaus’ face, the tips of his last two fingers rested on the shell of his ear. Slowly and carefully, he leaned forward to plant a light kiss to Klaus’ forehead, right above his eyebrow gap.

Klaus stirred again and this time he let out a heavy sigh. Dave could tell by the change of pace in his breathing that he was more conscious now.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” Dave whispered as he took his hand away. Klaus made a little whimper and weakly shook his head.

“M’you didn’t,” he slurred. Eyes still closed, he felt around with his hand and found Dave’s again. He held it close like a child to a teddy and Dave breathed out another laugh.

 Dave leaned back in and gently placed a kiss to Klaus’ cheek. Then another, and then one on the tip of his nose. Klaus had a quiet smile that slowly grew as he felt Dave’s lips softly kiss along his face. Then he felt him kiss his eyebrow and he let out a little snort. Dave laughed and pulled back.

Apparently, when Klaus wakes up from a restful night, he takes a while to get fully conscious. He just now finally felt like he was ready to open his eyes. They blinked open to look at Dave, a sleepy smile still on his face. The only light was coming in from the window across the room, but Klaus’ eyes still managed to catch it. Dave held his breath for a moment.

Then he leaned forward and kissed Klaus proper, placing his hand on his cheek once more.

“Mornin’, Sunshine,” Dave said softly.

“Morning,” Klaus whispered, voice groggy. Dave’s thumb traced along Klaus’ lips and Klaus nuzzled more into the skin of his palm.

“What do you want to do today?” Dave asked. Klaus sighed and stretched out a little more.

“Nothin’,” he said, making Dave chuckle. “Just lay here with you.” He peaked up at Dave, cheeks pink and eyes still tired, but happy. Dave had to kiss him once more.   

“I can make that happen,” Dave said. His eyes went a little hooded. “You wanna start off with another birthday present?” He asked. Klaus smirked and wagged his eyebrows.

“Mhmm,” he said with a nod. Dave smiled and kissed Klaus again before going down on him.

 

They ended up ordering room service for breakfast. Waffles with a side of eggs. When Dave asked Klaus if he wanted to get bacon, he told him he also didn't eat pig products. Dave thought that was cute, and quite convenient for him, and dialed the front desk to place their order.

They ate breakfast in bed as they watched Jeopardy on the TV. Klaus used this as a way to low-key learn some facts about this time period. Fact number one: Jeopardy was apparently on in the 60s. He remembered watching this show with Ben during down time. Ben was pretty good at guessing correctly while Klaus obnoxiously yelled out purposefully wrong answers. Before he ran away, Five would sometimes join them, too. He usually knew all the answers.

“Oh, come on, Edith! How could you _not_ know who all four prime ministers were during World War One?” Klaus sarcastically yelled at the TV. He would make remarks like this throughout the whole episode. It also didn’t take long for him to get back into the habit of yelling out hilariously wrong answers, making Dave crack up every time. He was more entertained by Klaus than the show.

After another silly outburst from Klaus, he turned to look at Dave to see his reaction and had noticed he was staring at him with a peculiar look he couldn’t recognize.

“What?” Klaus asked.  

Dave had hardly realized he was staring at Klaus. “Hm?”

“You’re just staring,” Klaus said. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” Dave said too quickly. “Just thinkin’.”

“Okay,” Klaus said slowly. “About what?”

Dave opened his mouth to speak, but then waved himself off. “Nothin’. It’s nothing.”

Klaus comically gasped at him. “Well, now you _have_ to tell me,”  he said. Dave laughed, but he sounded a little uncomfortable. But Klaus was watching him now and he couldn’t ignore those big eyes.  

Dave sighed. “I was just…. I was thinking about doing this. Together. But, more regularly.” He lamely gestured to the two of them with a free hand. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say.

Klaus cocked his head at him. “I’m not following,” he said. Dave opened his mouth to reply, but there was uproarious applause from the TV. With a slightly frustrated sigh, Dave got up to turn the volume down. He then put his and Klaus’ empty plates on the side table and got back into bed with Klaus. He sat up against the headboard.

“I just mean,” he started, but he paused when he locked eyes with Klaus. He took a deep breath and continued, “After… all of this.” He gestured to the air again.

“The hotel?” Klaus asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“No, Klaus. I mean _here_ here.”

The face Klaus gave him told Dave that he understood what he meant. “You’ve thought about us…. After all of this?” Klaus asked. He didn’t know why he was surprised by it, but he was.

“Well, of course,” Dave said. Of course. Of course Dave wanted to live with him when this was all said and done. Of course he’d thought about taking him home to meet his family. Of course he’d thought about a normal life with him. _Of course._

 “ _Really?_ ” Klaus asked in awe, taking Dave’s arm. He instinctively laced their fingers together. Realization was hitting Klaus in waves. “You mean it?”

Dave couldn’t tame the smile that grew. He ducked his head. “Yeah, I mean. What else is there?” Then Klaus pulled on Dave’s arm to close the distance, giving him a big kiss. Dave laughed against his lips and put a hand to Klaus’ jaw. They kissed and laughed into each other, all while scooting closer and closer together. Dave had Klaus almost completely in his lap when he asked, “So, when does your tour end?”

Klaus snorted. He technically wasn’t signed up for a tour at all. He was surprised this was the first time Dave had asked him this. Due to a lack of a legitimate answer, he responded with, “Well, when does yours end?” Dave laughed and kissed the corner of his lips.

“In February,” he answered.

“Hm, well, I’m sure I can clear my schedule by then,” Klaus teased, leaning in for another kiss. Dave complied, though it was quick and chaste.

“But, uh,” Dave started, suddenly less animated. He kicked himself, for he was about to ruin the moment. But Klaus had a right to know. “I’m thinking of signing up for another one,” Dave admitted, drawing his lips into a tight line.

The words took a moment before they settled into Klaus’ ears. He looked at Dave, completely unmoving, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He blinked a few times, but he still wasn’t getting it. That didn’t make sense, did it? Dave just said he wanted to go back home with him, didn’t he? Or was Klaus completely misreading the situation?

“What?” Klaus asked, voice meek.

Dave suddenly found that he couldn’t look at Klaus. “I mean…” he stammered. “I don’t know… what I would _do_ over there.”

“Well, for starters, you’d live with me,” Klaus said, but he felt like he was being too snippy. He gently added, “Like you just said you wanted?” His voice was so small. Dave looked at him, but said nothing. With a shaky sigh, Klaus shifted to get himself out of Dave’s lap.

“Wait. Baby,” Dave said, but Klaus ignored him. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and got up, facing away from Dave and covering his mouth with his hand as he tried not to cry. “Klaus,” Dave tried again.

“What?” Klaus asked as he turned around. His eyes were already glistening with tears and his lips were trembling. “ _What?_ You just said you wanted to-to live with me, but now you want to stay for, what? Another six months? A _year?_. How am I supposed to react to that?”  

“It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?” Klaus asked and he could feel the angry tears finally breaking the floodgate. He frowned, embarrassed that he was crying. He felt his entire upper body heating up in the worst kind of way. This morning had started off so wonderful, too. “Yesterday you told me that you loved me, and just now you said you wanted a… a _life_ with me in the future, but now—“ He shuddered in a breath. “It’s a lot of conflicting information, David.” And, wow, Klaus didn’t realize he could get this angry at Dave.

Dave didn’t mention the full name thing, but he didn’t exactly appreciate it. Klaus had a right to be upset, though. But he was still in the dark about some things. Still sitting at his place on the bed, Dave calmly held up his hands in defense.

“Klaus, let me explain,” he said. Klaus crossed his arms, but said nothing as he waited for an answer. “I—I’m _afraid_ to go back home, but it’s not for the reason that you’re thinking. Of course I want to live with you, that thought is more comforting than anything else.”

Klaus relaxed a bit, his tense shoulders falling. He still didn’t feel secure, though.

“I’m afraid to go home because—“ Dave closed his eyes and sighed. “Because… I came out to my mother.”

 

Klaus’s arms fell to his sides. “Oh,” he breathed out heavily.  

Dave looked at him, eyes intense. “Yeah,” he said stiffly

Klaus looked a mix of anguish and regret. His hand went to his chest as he used the other for shaky support as he got back into bed. “Oh, my God,” he said.

“Yeah,” Dave agreed.

“Well, first of all, _I’m so sorry,_ ” Klaus said, apologizing for getting so upset. Dave shook his head at him.

“No, you’re okay for reacting like that. I should’ve told you in a better way.”

Klaus nodded in agreement, but now he was more concerned with this new development. ”So, wh-what happened?” He asked. Dave sat up straighter against the boards, looking rigged. Klaus pressed himself up to his side and took his hand again. Dave looked at their hands for a moment, tracing one of Klaus’ fingers with his thumb. 

“It happened about six months before you came along,” he started. “There was, uh. A big one. They had ambushed a camp I was stationed at. I took cover in a ditch, but it wasn’t enough because—because a bullet almost hit me.” Klaus took in a sharp breath next to him. “It grazed the side of my helmet and—“ His words got caught in his throat for a moment. “And it went right in between the eyes of the guy next to me.” Klaus blinked and a teardrop traveled down his face.  

Dave turned to him and stammered, “And I thought—That could’ve been me. Or _should’ve_ been me.” Klaus tutted and shook his head, but Dave just shrugged. “ I mean, it was aimed at me.”

Klaus was holding Dave’s hand tightly with both of his. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. It was all he could say, really.

Dave continued. “And in that moment, I realized. I didn’t want to die without her knowing me. Without my mother _fully_ knowing me.” He pointed at his heart as he said it. And it felt good to admit it. To explain his reasoning and actions to someone who would understand.

Klaus didn’t have any response other than to continue to comfort him. He scooted in closer and gave a few soft kisses to Dave’s cheek and jaw. Then he leaned his head onto his shoulder. Dave was sure he felt a few tears against the fabric of his shirt. He squeezed Klaus’ hand.

 “When it was all over, I immediately picked up a pen and paper and told her what happened,” Dave said. Klaus peaked up at him. “The letter started out like any other. Then I told her what I just told you.” A pause. “And then I came out to her.”

“And wha- how did she react?” Klaus asked.

Dave took in a deep breath and then let it out forcefully. “She didn’t.” Klaus’ eyebrows furrowed.

“B-but, I’ve seen you get letters from her?”

“Well, she responded to the letter, just not that part,” Dave clarified. It was all making sense to Klaus, now.

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated.

“It’s fine, it’s just now…. I’m terrified of where that leaves us. Like, will she mention it once I see her in person? Or will it never be mentioned again and I’ll just be left wondering about it forever? Or… what if she disown me? And I just… I _can’t_ pretend like it never happened.” The panic was quickly rising in Dave’s voice. Klaus put an arm around his chest and hugged him tightly. He kissed lightly on Dave’s ear and jaw, shushing him.

“it’s okay. It’ll all be okay,” Klaus cooed. But Dave started crying anyway and that was okay. They sat there like that for a while, Klaus holding Dave as he finally let it all out.

 

“I’m sorry I ruined the morning,” Dave said after they had laid in silence for a time too long to count. Klaus blew a raspberry.

“You didn’t ruin it. It’s good we talked about that, actually,” he thought aloud. Dave’s finger gently traced along his spine.

“I really do love you,” Dave said. “We’ll figure something out, come February.” He felt Klaus nod against his chest.

“I love you, too,” Klaus said after a beat. It was quiet for a while before Klaus’ face lit up. “Hey,” he said, lifting his head to look at Dave. “Do you wanna smoke that blunt now?”

Dave laughed at the sudden change of energy from Klaus, but he nodded his head. “Yeah, that sounds good right about now.”

Klaus gave a mock jazz-hand in celebration. He was giddy as he got off the bed to retrieve the joint. He had seen Dave drunk, but he hadn’t seen him high, yet. He was very much looking forward to it.

“We’re just gonna do it in here?” Dave asked.

“I mean, I wanna do many things with you in here,”  Klaus said suggestively as he got back into bed, joint carefully held between his fingers. He gave Dave another kiss. “But, no, I was thinking the back alley would be best. Then we could wander around town in search for food.”

Dave laughed and pulled Klaus in by his hips for more kisses. “Okay, if that’s what you want to do,” he said with a smile.

“Si.”

They had to painstakingly put on actual clothes and ready themselves for public viewing. Klaus learned very quickly that this was definitely not Dave’s first time smoking marijuana and he felt _robbed._ “God damn  it, boy, I was hoping to take your weed virginity,” Klaus said.

Dave laughed and lightly blew out smoke. “Sorry,” he said. “Really, I’m shocked you thought I hadn’t before?”

“Well, ya know,” Klaus said, not offering any more explanation than that.

Dave nodded. “Yeah. So, Nico gave you this?” He asked, holding the joint delicately between his fingers. He gestured with it and the smoke swirled gently through the air.

“Yeah, he snuck it in with the usual haul,” Klaus said, grabbing the joint from him and taking a hit.

Dave looked like he wanted to say something, but held it back. Klaus gently blew smoke in his face and laughed as Dave waved it away.

“You could get this on your own if you wanted to, couldn’t you?” Dave asked as he took the joint back from Klaus. He looked at Dave with disbelief.

“Honey, look who you’re talking to,” Klaus said, gesturing to himself. “ _Of course_ I could. That’s what I _did_ for half my life.”

“So, why do you make him get it for you?” Dave asked. He put emphasis on the word “him”, like he was purposefully trying not to say Nico’s name again. Once was enough.  

Klaus looked a bit surprised by this question. “It’s not obvious?” He asked. Dave still wasn’t getting it, so he gestured all around them. “Look what I’m doing right now.”

Then Dave realized. “You’re using him?”

“Duh,” Klaus said. He took the joint back from Dave and took a long drag to finish it off. He let it out slowly. “Why would I waste time on the streets, reliving my 20’s: Warzone Edition, when I could spend all my time off with you?”

Dave smiled a big, toothy grin. He suddenly didn’t mind that they were huddled in a dark corner of an alley, out of sight. He stepped in and gently grabbed Klaus’ face, bringing him in for a kiss. The sickly sweetness of Dave’s lips was cut by the taste of smoke on his breath. Klaus breathed it all in, resting his hands on Dave’s chest.

“Ready to wreak havoc?” Klaus asked with a grin. Dave kissed him again.

“Hell yeah.”

 

They walked, or rather stumbled, about town. Even while inebriated, Dave had the better balance of the two of them. Klaus was nearly obvious, losing balance every tenth step. Dave would just wheeze with laughter as he yanked Klaus back up. They earned a couple stares, but they couldn’t pay them no mind.

They started window shopping, commenting on the mannequins and decorations on display. “My brother is in love with a mannequin,” Klaus said. Dave snorted with laughter. He had no idea what the hell that meant, but it was the funniest thing in the world to him in that moment. As his laughter wore off, he felt light and warm.

For a minute, he forgot they were out in public and he wrapped an arm around Klaus’ waist. Klaus didn’t think of it for a second, but then it hit him and he quickly got himself away from Dave.

“What?” Dave asked, sounding hurt. Klaus laughed because it was so sweet and cute.

“We’re in public, honey,” Klaus said, pointing to the people hurrying past them.

“Oh!” Dave exclaimed and then the laughter started again.

They went to a low-key looking café for lunch when the munchies hit. They had last eaten only two hours ago, but with or without substances, Dave was a notoriously good eater. The army food really was the worst thing to him. He was absolutely ravenous now.

Klaus didn’t normally eat so close together, and the drugs no longer made him hungry, in fact, they did the opposite. But he would eat since Dave was eating. He just got a tea and a salad. Dave nearly laughed at his order. “Wow, you really do eat like a bird,” he said before ordering a whole turkey sub for himself.

“You think I eat like a bird?” Klaus asked when the waitress walked away.

“Yeah!” Dave laughed. “Not so much _what_ you’re eating, but _how_ you eat it. You take cute, little dainty bites.” He made a motion like he was eating finger sandwiches. Klaus just laughed, delighted and warmed that Dave would notice such a niche thing about him.

“Do I really?” Klaus asked.

“Yeah, it’s really cute,” Dave said, blushing. “Unless you’re _really_ hungry, then you attack it. But I still think it’s cute because it’s so different from how you normally eat.”

Klaus really didn’t know what to say at this point. “You watch me eat?” He asked, but it didn’t sound accusatory. And he wasn’t freaked or weirded out by it, either. He was more so completely intrigued.

Dave’s face was red down to his neck now. “Well, to be fair, you’re quite distracting most of the time. Kinda can’t help but look.”

Klaus blushed and looked down at the table top. “You’re distracting, too,” he murmured. He flashed his eyes up at Dave, who had to catch his breath.

“You’re so beautiful,” Dave told him. Klaus gasped out a laugh.

“No, _you’re_ beautiful,” he said.

“Okay. We’re both pretty,” Dave said simply.

Klaus laughed harder and shook his head. Dave was so attentive and loving when high. Which wasn’t much different from how he usually was, it was just dialed up a bit. Klaus’ eyes wandered out the window next to them as he pondered this information. He scanned the busy street and the bright, yellow sunlight made it appear dream-like. He was in a trance until he saw a familiar face. And then another.

“Oh, shit, it’s the guys,” he said, looking away and hiding his face from the window.

“What?” Dave asked, looking out the window where he saw Benny, along with a lot of the other guys, standing  across the street. “Oh, shit,” he laughed.

They hadn’t seen them, as they were being a little bit rowdy. They were laughing and rough-housing with each other. Benny sighed in adoration for his boys. His eyes fell to across the street, where he spotted two familiar faces in a restaurant window. He squinted at them, attempting to see if his eyes were betraying him.

“Oh, shit!” Klaus and Dave exclaimed. Klaus laughed harder, feeling like he was in a movie scene. The men across the street were too occupied with each other, so they didn’t see Benny shrugging at Klaus and Dave. Dave just shrugged back. Benny mimicked hiding behind his hands as a way of instruction. Klaus and Dave immediately reacted.

 Dave scanned their surroundings and grabbed an abandoned newspaper off the table behind them. In his state of panic, Klaus had gotten himself under the table, which probably made him more obvious. He giggled to himself, holding his hand over his mouth. 

“Get up here,” Dave said as he unfolded the newspaper and held it parallel to the window, hiding his face. Klaus’ chair groaned loudly as he skid it across the floor, trying to stand up. Dave laughed uproariously at him. Klaus joined in on the laughter when he saw the unfolded newspaper. They had to fan it out a little bit more so it was big enough for them both, but they got themselves huddled behind it and out of sight.

They looked at each other from behind the paper and burst out laughing, even louder than before. The whole commotion had grabbed the attention of the tables around them. The wait staff pretended it wasn’t happening. They probably saw weirder stuff on the daily.  

“Are they gone?” Dave asked after it had been a few minutes. Klaus bravely peaked up from behind the newspaper and scanned the area.

“Affirmative,” he said. Dave sighed and let the newspaper fold in on itself. It was just in time for their food to arrive. The waitress acted like she hadn’t seen anything.

After they ate, they decided they were far too high to continue to be out in public. They made their way back to their hotel room, though it took them entirely too long. They may or may not have walked off the elevator and onto the wrong floor. Twice.

They giggled as they stumbled into the room. Dave took Klaus’ face between his hands again and kissed him, though this time it was a bit more sloppy and needy. He let out a little moan as their lips moved together.

“Your lips are so soft,” Dave said between kisses. “Like velvet.” He moaned again as he kissed him, making Klaus giggle. He put his arms around Dave’s neck and then felt himself being lifted.

“You know, sex is really good while high,” Klaus said, eyelids low.

“I’m fully aware,” Dave teased before kissing him again. With Klaus wrapped around him, he made his way over to the bed and laid him down on the edge. He pushed Klaus’ legs further apart as he settled between them, rolling his hips.

Klaus moaned as he wrapped his legs around Dave’s middle. Dave’s lips were on his again and it quickly evolved to a deeper, open mouth kiss. Their tongues gently glided together as Klaus held Dave’s jaw in his hands. He felt Dave’s hands roaming his body, squeezing his hips and playing with his nipples. Klaus giggled at the different sensations.

Any type of sex with Dave was always good, but there was something specific on Klaus’ mind that he wanted. “Mmm, wait,” he said, holding up a finger between their lips. Dave planted a few more kisses before pulling away.

“Hm?”

“I have a request,” Klaus said, making himself laugh with his wording. Dave giggled a bit, too. “Think of it as a, uh, one last birthday present,” Klaus said with a mischievous smile. The smile grew as he held his bottom lip gently between his teeth. Dave watched Klaus’ lips move and he couldn’t think of a proper response until he kissed him again. 

“What is it?” He finally asked.

“Okay, try not to be alarmed, but,” Klaus started. If this were seven months ago, or hell, even just last week, Klaus probably wouldn’t have brought this up. But after everything that’s been said the past two days, he felt like they were ready now. “I want you to choke me.”

Dave himself started choking on the air. He turned his head to cough it out and Klaus giggled at him. “Sorry,” he said. He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t expecting that.” But he smiled as he said it, so Klaus figured he wasn’t too alarmed by it. But he didn’t want to be presumptuous.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I mean, you _know_ I’ve done way more wild shit, and I can live without most of them, but this one is my favorite.” He started to ramble a bit and Dave smiled down at him. “It’s just,” Klaus wiggled a bit. “It’s _ohh,_ so good and uh. I want to experience it with you.”

Klaus sounded so vulnerable as he said the last part. Dave’s face softened and he leaned down to kiss him because he simply couldn’t help it. “Okay,” he said.

“Yeah? Okay?” Klaus laughed. Dave smiled and nodded as he leaned back in for another kiss.

“Yeah, it’s your birthday, you get whatever you want,” Dave said, gently brushing away some of Klaus’ hair from his forehead.

“Really?” He asked, completely breathless. He wasn’t sure if he had ever heard those words before.

“Yeah, you’re my guy,” Dave said simply.

Klaus melted at those words. He giggled as his face turned red and Dave kissed his laughter away. “And you promise it won’t actually hurt you?”

“I promise,” Klaus said, earning another kiss.

“Okay, but, uh,” Dave started. He looked sheepish. “I’ve never done this before. You’ll have to show me.”

“Of course,” Klaus said. “No problem.” He reached for Dave’s hand and casually positioned his fingers around his neck. It felt huge and warm around his throat.

Klaus swallowed hard and Dave could feel his Adam’s apple moving against his palm. He was a little mystified at the visual of Klaus looking at up at him as his hand was wrapped around his throat. He was already starting to get it. He tried to concentrate as Klaus squeezed where Dave’s fingers were against the sides of his neck.

“Like this,” He said. “Not at the front.”

“Okay,” Dave sounded in a trance.

“I should still be able to talk. And I’ll keep my hand on your wrist, so I’ll still be in control a bit.” Klaus’ own words put wonderful visuals in his head. He felt himself getting more and more bothered by the anticipation. But there was still one last thing. “ _And,_ in the unlikely event that I want you to let go, I’ll tap your wrist like this.” He gave Dave’s wrist two little taps.

“Got it,” Dave said. He wiggled his hips a bit involuntarily. He was still in between Klaus’ legs, a little bit of a compromising position to be in during this little lesson. They were both semi-hard, a fact that was apparent to both of them. Klaus smirked up at him.

“And that’s really all the important stuff,” Klaus said. He poked at Dave’s chest and that mischievous smile returned. Dave kept his hand on Klaus’ neck as he kissed him and Klaus felt his head join the clouds.

Dave pulled back and watched Klaus as he tested out a little squeeze on his neck. Klaus moaned instantly and Dave could feel his head falling back a little. He squeezed his hand harder and Klaus squeezed Dave’s wrist back as a reflex. He felt Klaus swallow again.

“ _God,_ yes,” Klaus moaned, tightening his legs around Dave’s waist. Dave continued to be mystified by Klaus’ responses to his grip. He smirked and kissed him again.                

Dave talked between kisses. “Mmm, okay.” Kiss. “I think I get it.” Another kiss.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Dave loosened his grip and took his hand away to take his shirt off. Klaus immediately whimpered at the loss of contact, but he followed Dave’s lead anyway. Then Dave went ahead and took their pants off, too. He turned Klaus’ pants inside out as he peeled them off his long legs.

He grabbed Klaus’ feet and started kissing along his ankles and down his legs. He went down to his thighs, but skipped over his vitals, and kissed up to his belly button. Klaus laughed a little at this and brought a hand down to run his fingers through Dave’s hair. Dave smiled up at him as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Klaus’ underwear. In one fell swoop, he pulled them off. It wasn’t completely smooth, but it was incredibly sexy nonetheless and Klaus let out a breathy laugh.

Dave quickly kissed Klaus again before moving to get a condom and lube from the nightstand. He tore the condom packet and was getting ready to roll it on when Klaus made a little noise to get his attention. He quickly looked over to the man lying on the bed.

“I want you to finger me first,” Klaus said, putting a finger to his mouth. “While you choke me.” And Dave just couldn’t say no to that, now could he? A confident smirk spread on his face.

“Okay,” he said, stepping back into Klaus’ space. He pulled on his legs, getting him closer to the edge of the bed. He pulled Klaus’ legs apart, resting his feet at his shoulders. He lubed up the fingers of one hand. “Ready?” He asked. Klaus nodded and Dave placed a few more kisses to Klaus’ legs as he slipped in his first two fingers. He started out slow, curling his fingers as they came towards him.

Klaus moaned and arched his back at the sensation. Dave pulled him even closer as he sped up his movements. Klaus reached up for Dave’s other hand and gave a little tug at his wrist.

“You forgetting something?” He teased. Dave chuckled and let Klaus take his hand and place it back around his throat. Dave gave an experimental, but firm, squeeze as he quickened his movements once more.

“Mmm, fuck yeah, baby,” Klaus sighed. He held onto Dave’s wrist lightly. “You can be a little more rough,” he said. Not wanting to disappoint, Dave squeezed harder and changed the angle of his fingers. Klaus moaned, his legs falling limp towards his sides.

Dave had big hands. Bigger than Klaus’ despite them being nearly the same height. His thicker, longer fingers had no problem finding Klaus’ prostate. He massaged it as he anchored Klaus to the bed by his neck. He watched him twitch and squirm, holding onto his wrist tighter and tighter.

“Ohhh, my God, Dave,” Klaus whimpered. His voice was getting more and more breathy and strained. Dave had a mixed reaction to this since he didn’t like hearing Klaus sound like he was in pain. But on the other hand, Klaus was enjoying it so fucking much. All of his reactions were so mind-blowingly sexy and motivating, it made the good outweigh the bad. And he knew Klaus wasn’t really hurting.

“You look so fucking good like this,” Dave breathed. Klaus just smiled at his words, too breathless to talk as much as he normally did.

But he wasn’t too breathless to tell Dave he wanted his cock inside him. It sounded so absurd, voice weak from behind his grip. All Dave could do was nod and kiss him before pulling away again to prep himself. Klaus nearly cried at the sudden feeling of being empty, but he knew that feeling wouldn’t last long.

Dave got Klaus ready first, going so far as getting a towel from the bathroom to lay under him. Then he lifted his hips and placed a pillow under him. With Klaus ready to go, he rolled a condom on himself and applied a generous stripe of lube down his cock. He jerked himself loosely to spread it evenly.

“You ready, baby?” Dave asked as he got himself between Klaus’ legs again. His hand caressed one of the thighs around his waist. Klaus nodded, still breathless despite the lack of pressure on his neck.

“Yes, baby,” he sighed.

Then Dave lined himself up and slowly sunk into Klaus. His back arched as Dave filled him back up, but so much more than before. “ _Fuck,_ you always feel so big,” Klaus laughed. His hands were fisting at the sheets already and Dave smirked at the reaction. He started to move at a faster initial pace, since Klaus was already a little stretched, making him react even more.

Dave’s hand hadn’t returned to Klaus’ neck yet, so he was back to his usual amount of noise making. He moaned and sighed at the feeling of Dave moving inside of him. “Fuck, want your hand around me now,” Klaus sighed.

“Mmm, okay, baby,” Dave said. He felt like he had to kiss him again first before bringing his hand to his neck. He held him at a steady strength, which made Klaus’ noises decrease. Now he just looked up at Dave, panting as his eyebrows worried together. It was the usual face he made when whatever Dave was doing felt really, _really_ good. Dave lifted Klaus’ legs until they were up by his shoulders and quickened his pace.

“Harder,” Klaus said, squeezing Dave’s wrist. Dave complied and Klaus cried out. He could feel the blood rushing down his body. It pooled between his legs, making all the sensations caused by Dave’s cock to amplify. Klaus had been hard for the past ten minutes, but he somehow was getting even more aroused. His cock was flush up against his stomach and it ached to be touched, but he wanted to push himself even further and see how long he could last before touching himself.

Dave hardly noticed Klaus’ inner monologue. He was too preoccupied with all the sensations and touches. How it felt being inside Klaus, his legs pressed against his body, the soft skin of his neck under his hand. He could feel the muscles in his neck flex as Klaus’ breathing got raspier.

The way Klaus reacted to every touch and movement blew Dave’s mind. He would not protest if this was a thing Klaus wanted to repeat. Which he had a feeling it was. He rolled his hips more, trying to get Klaus’ prostate at this angle. Klaus nodded as encouragement.

“Yes,” he breathed. “Harder and tighter,” he said. Dave followed his instruction, pounding more into Klaus as his grip tightened even more on his neck. Klaus was starting to tear up a bit and he let out a strained laugh. He was completely overwhelmed in the best way. His cock was basically throbbing now and Klaus could tell he was close. He shut his eyes and allowed himself to get immersed in all the sensations.

“You’re incredible,” he heard Dave breathe. Klaus smiled, his face getting more and more red. “Should I stop?” Dave asked, referring to just his hand on Klaus throat. Klaus managed to shake his head.

“No, I’m so close,” he whimpered and it was a delicious sound. Dave folded over so he was more face to face with Klaus. They looked into each other’s eyes, breathing the same air, as Dave fucked Klaus towards the edge of orgasm. Klaus’ breathing got more and more ragged and he could hardly whimper out, “Babe, I’m gonna come.”

And then he was completely pushed over the edge, coming without his dick being touched. It was the hardest he’d come since being with Dave, back arching, hips rolling, and legs twitching. He cried out and Dave moaned at the sight. Klaus kept his grip on Dave’s wrist, wordlessly telling him it wasn’t time to let go quite yet. Dave continued to fuck him at a more medium pace as Klaus’ orgasm winded down.

He tapped Dave’s wrist twice and he immediately let go and slowed his pace down. Klaus took in a deep breath and started coughing, but it turned to laughter as he reeled in everything that just happened. Dave’s pace slowed to a stop, but he stayed inside of him.

“Oh, my fucking God, that was phenomenal,” Klaus laughed, placing the back of his hand to his forehead. He shook his head, not fully comprehending how sex could be this good. Dave’s response was to start leaving trails of kisses along Klaus’ neck and jawline. The kisses made their way to Klaus’ cheek and then he was finally kissing him proper.

“I love you,” Dave breathed. Klaus returned the sentiment and then his lips were back on him. They made out like that for a bit, Dave still hard and inside Klaus. That could be addressed later, right now he just wanted to kiss Klaus gently and attentively. He brought his hands up to hold his face and stroke his cheeks. He finally pulled back and Klaus smiled up at him.

“So, I was good?” Dave asked, suddenly shy. It was a complete juxtaposition to the man that was choking Klaus not even five minutes ago. Klaus couldn’t help but laugh.

“Good doesn’t even begin to cover it, baby,” Klaus teased. Dave smiled and kissed him again.

He pulled away, but just by an inch. “I like when you call me ‘baby’,” he said against Klaus’ lips.

“Really?” Klaus asked.

“Yeah. And ‘honey’.” He sounded so sheepish and shy, Klaus couldn’t help but kiss him again.

“Well, honey, what would you like me to do about this situation?” Klaus asked humorously, gesturing to Dave still inside of him. Dave laughed and moved his hips a bit in response, making Klaus bite his lip.

“Whatever you want to do,” Dave said. “It’s your birthday.” Klaus smirked and bit his lip a little harder. He put his feet on Dave’s middle and pushed slightly, signaling for him to pull out. He did so slowly and then Klaus turned himself around so his head hung off the side of the bed.

Dave knew exactly where he was going with this and just the sight alone elicited a soft “Oh, my God,” from him. Klaus laughed, opening his mouth wide and sticking his tongue out. He reached out and grabbed Dave’s hips.

“Whatcha waiting for?” He teased before opening his mouth again. Dave groaned and quickly peeled the condom off and stepped forward, slipping his cock between Klaus’ lips.  Klaus controlled the movement of his hips, making him start out slow and just a few inches at a time.

Gradually Klaus pulled on him more, making more of his cock disappear down his throat. He eventually was able to swallow all of him down, blowing Dave’s mind even more.

 At this angle, he could see his cock filing up Klaus’ throat and it was the most outrageous thing he’s ever seen. He brought a hand to one of Klaus’ at his hips and laced their fingers together. He was moving his hips at his own accord now, slowly moving his cock in and out of Klaus’ throat.

Klaus would occasionally gag and he would push on Dave to make him pull out. But his recovery time was quick and he was able to swallow Dave down again.

Dave’s had dudes do this with him before, but he couldn’t recall anyone able to deep throat him so easily. He was losing his mind, hearing all the crazy and delicious sounds Klaus made as he swallowed him down again and again.

Just a few minutes later and Klaus had Dave coming down his throat. He tapped on Dave’s hip quickly and Dave pulled out. Klaus gasped for air for the second time that night, laughing with delight. His eyes were watered even more than before, any trace of eyeliner he had on was all smeared under his eyes.

Dave had to literally sit down on the bed to catch his breath. His legs were weak and he felt completely drained, but in the best way possible.

“You’re fucking incredible,” he told Klaus, who was sitting up now and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. He smiled at Dave.

“Thanks, I do my best.”

Dave scoffed at this and reached for Klaus, pulling him in close for a sweet kiss. He could taste himself on Klaus’ lips.

“I love you,” he murmured. “You’re so amazing.”

Klaus giggled and repeated back at him, in a what could be described as a baby voice, “I love _you_ and _you’re so_ amazing.” Dave chuckled and kissed him again. He was gentle and sweet, just holding Klaus there. He wanted to savor the feeling of his tender lips.

“You know,” Klaus said, pulling away just a bit. “There’s a rule with BDSM that whoever gets dominated receives lots of cuddles after.” He stuck his tongue out and wiggled his shoulders after he said it. He knew he would get a lot of cuddles anyway, but it was still worth saying. Dave chuckled at him.

“Is that so?” Dave asked as he went in for another kiss.

“Mhm,” Klaus nodded and then Dave’s lips were on his again. When Dave pulled away this time, he cocked his head to the side, like he was trying to remember something.

“Doesn’t the shower double as a bathtub?”

“Oh, thank God, I thought you’d _never_ ask,” Klaus said. He stood up, suddenly full of energy, and offered a hand out to Dave, who took it immediately with a laugh.

Klaus led him back to the bathroom. The hotel had small bottles of bubble bath that Klaus used, filing the bathwater with fluffy foam. The tub was a little small, but they didn’t mind at all. It was a luxury to them. It was cozy and warm as they sank into the water together.

Dave leaned against the wall at one end of the bathtub and Klaus laid between his legs. He leaned his head on Dave’s chest and it was the perfect angle for Dave to leave many forehead kisses.  Klaus curled into him and Dave wrapped his arms around his waist. Their skin was hot and it was only amplified by the hot water. But this was the kind of warmth that was welcomed. The kind that was longed for and needed.

 

Getting ready to head back to the rendezvous the next morning was the hardest thing either of them had done in the past seven months. They really just wanted to lay there forever, never leaving their home away from home. Klaus literally said goodbye to the bathtub and Dave had to practically drag him out of the room.

The boys were already waiting at the intersection where the bus would pick them up. They went berserk when they spotted Klaus and Dave.

“Yo, where the _fuck_ were you two??” Connor asked, going in for a one-armed hug with Dave.

“Eh, we decided we were tired of you guys,” Dave teased. “And the clubs.”

“Ah, a sophisticated man I see,” Nico said. “Did you go to museums to fuck the tour guides instead?” 

Dave found the attempt distasteful, but Klaus snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, she told me she met some greasy meatball in a club and decided she needed to redeem herself.”

“Ah, hope you enjoyed my sloppy seconds, then.”

“I never said the greasy meatball was you,” Klaus retorted wickedly fast, making the others shout in delight. The men were enjoying the showdown so much that they nearly missed the bus pulling up to take them back to camp. As they boarded, Dave felt a hand clamp on his shoulder.

“Seriously, Katz, when you asked me to cover for you for a while, I didn’t think you meant _two whole fucking days_ ,” Benny said to him.

Dave laughed and shrugged him off. “Sorry, Chaz, what can I say? He keeps me busy.”

“Yeah, I can fucking see that,” Benny said, pointing to a hickey on Dave’s neck. He cursed and brought his hand up to cover it. When did that get there?

Benny and Clyde had situated themselves behind Dave and Klaus on the bus. They leaned forward to have a hushed conversation with them.

“So, where were you guys really?” Clyde asked.

Dave spoke low, “We got a hotel room.” He smiled at Klaus as he said this, who smiled shyly back at him. Clyde made a fake disgusted sound.

“Well, I’m glad you two had fun,” Benny said. “It was hard covering for your asses, though.”

“Yeah, what _did_ you tell them?” Klaus asked.

“At first I said you just went out to eat somewhere but then you never fucking came back.” They all laughed at this. “So, I gave up and simply said ‘I don’t know’.”

“Well, thank you, anyway,” Dave said sheepishly.

“No problem. But, maybe give a little warning next time y’all decide to go AWOL.”

 

That night was the hardest time both Klaus and Dave had getting to sleep since arriving in Vietnam. Being next to each other made it easier and harder all at the same time. Now that they had a taste of what life with each other could be like outside of the jungle, they weren’t sure they were ready to be once again thrown to the wolves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's give it up for Klaus, who managed to endure 7 months of vanilla sex before giving in. 
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter Ten coming soon ~ <3


	10. We're Not All Winners

Getting thrown back into the swing of things was a mixed bag of adjustment for Klaus. On the one hand, he was so used to it by now that everything seemed like second nature to him. While on the other hand, he wanted so desperately to _not_ be used to it at all. Half of his mind was in a warm bath and dreaming of butterfly kisses while the other half was hyper aware of every sound and every movement. The anxiety was more sweat inducing than the hike. He could feel it dripping down his back and chest.  

A major thought on his mind was just how tired he was of being here. It made his heart feel heavy.  His mind was tired, his body was tired, and his spirit was tired, if you believed in such a thing. Which Klaus did, to an extent. He supposed he had no choice, given his unwanted abilities. If he could summon his own spirit now, he’d be desperately screaming for help. He shuddered. He finally got it.

Klaus shook his head to get the thought away. He tried to think of more pleasant things and it couldn’t be helped that his mind went to the future. Now that he knew what a plausible life with Dave  could be like, it was all he was holding onto. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t still mad that Dave was thinking of re-enlisting come February. Why would he postpone their future together? Why would he risk it not happening at all? His shoulders slouched with the thoughts. They made him ache. His lip started to quiver.

To be honest, Klaus wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to stay for much longer. So, if Dave stayed, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. He’s somehow managed over half a year, but he can feel himself checking out. But if he was able to do it for Dave before, then maybe he would be able to survive another year for him. Maybe it won’t be too bad since they’ll still be together.

Of course, that’s assuming nothing happens between now and then. Anything could happen in three months. Klaus knows better than anyone. It took three months for the Umbrella Academy to disband after Ben’s death. It took him three months after that to overdose for the first time. 

Klaus shook his head. He couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t keep thinking of the what-ifs regarding him and Dave. And He certainly shouldn’t be thinking of the past. He’d surely go insane if he did.  

The only thing that kept him mildly at the surface of sanity was Howie chatting away at his side. Klaus couldn’t remember the last time he had to shush someone else, but it’s already happened many times during this conversation. He loved the kid, but he talked dangerously too loud sometimes.

During Howie’s time here, he’d started to learn about the landscape, the trees and shrubs and flowers. He figured, he had been spending so much time amongst the trees, might as well learn about them. It sparked his interest much more than a lot of the other things the guys got into. He was just regurgitating everything he’d been learning to Klaus, who truly appreciated it. It was a good distraction. And it was nice to learn about something so pleasant.

“You wanna pause your Bio 101 lesson for a second, doc?” Clyde called from a bit ahead.

“Why?” Howie asked. Clyde pointed to Benny, who was staring at the map and scratching his head.

“Aw, someone get lost?” Nico asked.

“ _No,_ ” Benny assured. But then he didn’t speak again.  

Always so aware and polite, Jake quietly stepped next to Benny and asked what was up.

“Just lost my sense of direction for a second,” he said. “I blame the headache.”

“Want me to take over?” Jake asked.

Benny squinted at Jake, then at the map, then back to Jake. “Sure,” he said. He handed the map to Jake. “We’re meant to be headed towards a river. Rosswell barely showed me how to read this thing, but it’s damn near impossible what with all those damn lines.”

“Oh, it’s a topographic map” Jake said simply.

Benny looked at him with exasperation. “Of course you know what the damn thing is.” He sighed to himself and let Jake take the lead from there.

“Oh, glad to see we finally get to do our jobs,” Clyde said as they started moving again.

“Yeah, well. That boy’s always been bright,” Benny said.

“It’s okay, we know you’re past your prime,” Clyde teased, patting Benny on the back.  

Jake eventually lead them to the river. At one point, Howie found himself next to Jake and strong armed him into teaching him how to read the map. He didn’t mind at all, though. He explained every move they were making right up until the river. They followed it upstream, from behind the tree-line. It was the most off-trail they’ve been, but these men were very comfortable in these woods.  

 

“[We need to extend further down],” one soldier said to another. “[It’s too obvious, now. They’ll see it].”

“[It’ll be fine, the Americans are idiots],” a second soldier reassured. Some men chuckled at his remark.

“[We still can’t risk it. Extend it down],” their leader commanded.

A band of Viet Cong soldiers were setting up a hideout close to the Laos border. They had found a large cave eroded away inside an outcrop. Sacrifices were made to draw out any beasts that dwelled inside. Now hallowed out, they continued the structure with man-made extensions. Lean-to trees and dug-out pits. It had become quite the maze, but the VC were excellent with camouflage. It was their strongest suite. A passing eye wouldn’t look twice at their hideout.

But their designated leader was growing with paranoia and was making them extend more. This lessened the amount of guards keeping watch, but he figured they still had decent time before the Americans found them. Not to mention the booby traps they were rigging up. Still, no harm in being extra careful.

“[I want high alert from the snipers],” their leader commanded. He pointed south. “[Keep an extra lookout. If we see them, give them hell].”

“[Yes, sir].”

 

Klaus shuddered and held his arms as he walked. He was starting to feel sick as he sweated. He didn’t know if it was because it had been a while since his last hit, he actually couldn’t remember when that was. Or maybe he was just getting sick. Physically sick of this place.

He fumbled as he reached for the little plastic baggie in his pocket. He usually tried to be discreet, but he was more in a “fuck it” state of mind right now. He popped a whole pill and sighed loudly.

“You okay, Klaus?” Howie asked from his side.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Klaus sighed again. He threw an arm around Howie’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. His arm lingered there for a moment and Howie appreciated it. Affection was normal with Howie’s family, but there wasn’t a lot of it here. Except from Klaus. He wasn’t aware of the phenomena, but the boy was definitely touch-starved.

“You know, Jake, I really hope you’re not wrong,” Nico said after they had been following the river for fifteen minutes.

“I’m sure of it,” Jake said. “For one, I actually know how to read this thing—“ Benny scoffed. “—secondly, I’ve gone on many hikes off the beaten trail,” he reassured. Clyde mimicked with his hand as he talked, making the others giggle. “Shouldn’t be too much longer, now,” Jake added.

 

They walked into an area thick with trees. The thickest Klaus had seen so far. Trying to walk in a straight line was like weaving a tapestry. He was so concentrated on dodging every tree that he almost didn’t see Howie until he bumped into him.

“Woah, there,” Klaus said, startled. Howie didn’t respond. He was standing there, looking intently passed the trees. He subtly pointed to where he was staring.

“Doesn’t that outcrop look weird to you?”

Klaus huffed a little laugh as he maneuvered passed the young boy. “ _Beautiful dreamer,”_ he started humming in his ear to tease him.

“I’m serious,” Howie protested. “Jake, look.” He slinkied up to Jake and pointed out the unusual pattern in the trees to him.

“I think you’re onto something,” he told him. “Hold,” he called out to the others, who immediately stopped. Jake crouched down and held a hand out, signaling for the others to crouch down as well. The air was silent as they listened all around them.

Then Benny spotted the snipers. “Charlie’s up top,” he said. They didn’t hesitate as they wasted no time knocking them out. It was a few quick shots and their bodies came tumbling down. One fell in such a way that his arm got caught in the fork of two branches and it snapped right off from his shoulder, leaving a hand waving at them from the treetops.

The smoke cleared and it was uncomfortably still. They knew better than to think it was all clear now. No way it was just these few guys. They held their breath as they waited for more sound. One minute. Two minutes. Three. And nothing. They looked around, making unassured eye contact with each other. Many shrugs were shared and some of the tension was relieved. Jake marked their spot on the map and gestured with his head towards the fallen tree.

“Think that’s a hideout?” He whispered to the troop.

“What else would it be?” Clyde asked. “Especially with the guards.”

“My thoughts exactly. We should go back and report to Rosswell,” Jake suggested. They all nodded in agreement. The point of these rotations was to make note of any unusual activity, and this definitely qualified. Feeling satisfied with their job, they turned around and slowly started making their way back. They stayed crouching down as they still weren’t convinced they were in the clear.

“Did you see me, Klaus?” Howie excitedly whispered. The two men trailed the rest of the group. “I got one!”

“I saw. It was a clean shot, too,” Klaus said proudly.

“Ha! Yeah, I was all ‘Oh shit, that’s a Charlie,’—“ He mimicked the sound of cocking and firing his gun. Klaus chuckled to himself, it strangely reminded him of a young Diego, despite his detest for guns.

“And then _he_ was all ‘Wah! You got me!’ – _vroomp._ ” The sound of him falling through the trees. Klaus rolled his eyes with amusement. And then suddenly Howie’s imitation of a gunshot sounded way too realistic. He snapped his head around to look at Howie.

“Did you hear that?” He asked.

“Hear what?” Howie asked, fully standing up. Klaus shot a hand out to him and mouthed “ _no!”,_ but it was too late. As the boy laughed, a laser of a bullet pierced through his abdomen.

“HOWIE,” Klaus and a few others screamed out. And then more bullets were whizzing past their heads.  

Howie was still standing, but his mouth was already filled with too much blood to talk. Klaus looked at him with horror as Howie’s eyes fell to an exit wound below his ribs. Blood stained his shirt as his shaking hands tried to press on it. Then he collapsed with a weak moan.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Klaus abandoned the fight to lay by Howie’s side in the mud. The boy groaned weakly. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Klaus said, cupping Howie’s face before quickly pressing down on the wound. “It’s okay, you’ll be fine. Don’t look down.”

But Klaus knew he wouldn’t be fine. And his tears and tight throat betrayed him and what were supposed to be words of comfort. Howie’s breathing became ragged as he tried reaching up towards Klaus’ face. He tried to say something, but he choked on the blood in his throat.  

“Shhh, no, no, no, don’t move,” Klaus cried. Howie’s hand fell weakly and Klaus could see the light fading from his eyes. “Shit, no, no, Howie. Stay with me, Howie!” Klaus begged now as he sobbed. He repeatedly, but lightly, slapped the side of Howie’s face, trying to keep him awake.

“Kla-“ Howie choked out. Klaus shook his head again.

“Don’t talk,” he said. “You’re going to be okay.” Klaus smiled at him, but it was tragically heartbroken. His tears spilled down onto Howie’s face, mixing with the blood.

Then Howie tugged on his own dog-tags.

“Okay,” Klaus whimpered out. “Okay, yeah.” And then he took Howie’s dog-tags from around his neck and placed them around his own. “Good?” he asked.

Howie nodded before slowly going limp in Klaus’ arms. Klaus pulled Howie in closer and sobbed into his hair. He kissed his forehead and a rush of energy flowed from Howie’s body and through Klaus’ as the boy let out his last breath. Klaus shuddered and could feel prickly goosebumps over his entire body, even on his scalp and cheeks. He gasped sharply. The last time he felt something this powerful was when Ben died.

The firing had stopped. Klaus didn’t know when, but it did. Now he knew the others were behind him somewhere, perhaps watching, but he couldn’t bear to look at them. Not until he heard one of them go, “Over there!”

Klaus’ head popped up and he followed the pointing finger. One last sniper swung down from his tree and started making a retreat. It was him for sure, the one that shot Howie. A few guys tried firing at him, but missed. Actually seeing him made Klaus snap. He let out a warrior scream  as he brought his rifle up. He ran right passed the line of his own guys and straight towards the man, completely ignoring those who called out his name.  

Klaus fired, but his feral state of mind caused him to miss. He screamed out and instead of the man firing back, he took off running even faster than before. Klaus grunted in annoyance as he picked up his own pace. He could get to him. He _would_ get to him.

He kept running until he felt a hand pull on his vest and violently yank him back. “What the fuck??” He yelled, only to turn around and come face-to-face with Dave.

“Klaus,” he said, completely out of breath from catching up to him. “He just crossed the Laos territory line. If you shoot him now, it would be a war crime.”

“Then let it,” Klaus said, putting the scope back up to his eyes and firing. But he missed. Dave snatched the gun from his hands. Klaus protested as he felt the tears resurface. He collapsed and sobbed into the dirt and Dave followed him down, keeping an arm around his shoulders. Klaus pounded into the soil. He pretended it was the body of the man who killed Howie. He screamed as his knuckles made their marks in the dirt. And he hoped the ground would lithify with his imprints so some paleontologist thousands of years from now would discover his fists and feel the rage he’s feeling now.

 

No one spoke as they made their way back. Dave kept his arm around Klaus’ shoulders the entire time and no one said a thing of it. In fact, they weren’t the only ones needing someone to lean on. They all needed any ounce of comfort they could find.

They lose guys all the time. It’s part of the deal. Part of the life. But some loses are worse than others. Some feel like someone stepped on an ant and some feel like a thief ripped your child straight from your arms and ran off with it into the night. Like your whole world came crashing down and now you’ve found yourself in an empty, terrible place you can’t seem to claw out of. And now you’re blaming yourself and feeling like there was something you could’ve done to prevent it. It’s all your fault, it’s all your fault, it’s all your fault.

That’s all Klaus could think as they trekked on. He should’ve kept Howie quieter. He should’ve been paying closer attention. He should’ve killed that guy. He should’ve, he should’ve, he should’ve.

Entering the camp’s perimeters felt like entering purgatory. His feet didn’t let him enter at first. Because if he did, if he crossed that line, there was no going back. It would make it all so painfully, obviously real. They’d have to report the losses along with the wins and Klaus couldn’t face that confirmation. That this little boy was really gone.

But he had to move along. He had to keep going. Dave was the only thing that pushed him to do so.

Even Rosswell seemed moved by the news regarding Howie. And he hears of death every day. But his ears perked up when Jake told him about the hideout. He showed him the map and where they had marked it. Told them of the snipers, but how there was no telling of their numbers. And how Howie was the one who found it.

“You did good work out there, boys,” he told them, taking the map from them. “I’ll take it from here.”

They’d plan for an attack, no doubt. But this was a really big chance and they had to do it right. And after that last encounter, the VC would be waiting for them and the troop has learned by now that they’re smart and cunning and have a fail-safe regarding the border. A battle like this takes time to plan out. This is the kind of battle everyone knows will be written about in history books, despite whatever the outcome will be.

Rosswell gave them the next two days off. When Dave asked Klaus what he wanted to do with the time, he had an answer immediately.

“I want to go to the tattoo shop,” he told him. That wasn’t the answer Dave was expecting, but then he noticed Klaus’ jaw clench and eyes water up and he understood. There was something he had to do for Howie.

As soon as they walked through the door, Klaus picked up a specific design book and started meticulously flipping through the pages. He found the page he wanted and slammed his finger down onto it. “This one,” he said. Dave looked down and it took him a second to remember the significance of the particular design. And then it clicked and he let out a small gasp. It was the Thai temple that Howie had pointed out all those months ago. The one he said he wanted to get, but his momma would kill him if he did.

“What do you want it to say?” The artist, Thu, had asked when Klaus showed him the tattoo. He gestured to the lettering within the design. The question stumped Klaus. He didn’t realize the words were meant to be customizable.

All the luster Klaus had dulled out as he shoulders slumped. “I… dunno,” he said quietly. Even Thu could tell that Klaus wasn’t himself. He’d seen enough army guys to know that.

“That’s okay, I’ll give you time to think about it,” Thu said before disappeared into the back. Then it was just Klaus and Dave sitting in the front room by themselves. In complete silence. Klaus started to sob quietly.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted before hiding his face in his hands. Dave instinctively brought a hand to Klaus’ back to rub soothing circles onto the fabric of his shirt.

“Shh, hey, it’s okay,” Dave quietly assured. “What do you think he’d want it to say?”

Klaus sniffled as he thought about it. He wiped at his nose before speaking. “Something personal. Probably about his mom.”

“Okay, well. Then make it personal,” Dave suggested. Klaus thought this advice over for a moment and Dave could see when something clicked in his brain. Klaus got up and walked to the front desk. He snooped around until he found a piece of scrap paper and a pen. He scribbled something on it and then rung the service bell.

Thu popped his head out from behind the curtain. “Feeling good?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Klaus sighed. He tapped on the paper he had laid on the counter. “Can you make it say this?”

Thu walked over and peaked at it. He gave a little shrug at the words. “Sure, whatever you want.”

“And I want it here,” Klaus said, motioning to below his ribs.

 

They caught up with the rest of the guys later. They all decided to skip the clubs and go to a quiet bar just to talk. They may be on a break, but they didn’t feel like celebrating tonight.

“It’s so weird,” Connor said as he stared into his beer glass. “How someone so…. _Noticeable_. And _there_ just suddenly… isn’t.” They all got quiet as he talked. Connor rarely talked about anything other than guns and girls. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like him.”

“I can think of a few other weirdos,” Nico said, looking directly at Klaus. This only earned a few soft, sad laughs. Klaus sighed in Nico’s direction and gave him a big, fat middle finger.  

“Wonder where he is now,” Clyde thought aloud. He said it indirectly, not really meant to elicit a response. But it did.  

“I think we know,” Dave said.

“Yeah,” Klaus scoffed. ”And I _should_ know. I’ve been there.” Dave’s eyes widened. This, of course, wasn’t news to him, but he was surprised he brought it up in front of the guys. But he supposed, under these circumstances, anything goes.

“Come again?” Clyde asked.

Klaus closed his eyes and sighed. He decided to look towards Benny as he spoke again. “I’ve died before. Three times, actually.”

The others shared stunned expressions. “Wha—how?” Jake asked.  

“Overdoses.” The one word explanation from Klaus was enough for the others to get it. Some looked uncomfortable while others gave him looks of pity. Benny looked like a worried parent.

“What happened after?” Clyde asked.

Klaus took a long swig of his whiskey before answering. “Nothing,” he said. “Absolutely nothing.”

 

It was a bit chaotic when the bus dropped them back off at camp. Word had spread quickly and there was already major preparations for battle. They didn’t have a plan yet, of course, but it couldn’t hurt to prepare the artillery ahead of time.

Klaus stood in the middle of the camp and watched the hustle of scurrying soldiers going in every direction. It didn’t feel like he was there, though. Like he was on the outside looking in. Like he was frozen in time and everyone else was speeding through it. A feeling he wasn’t unfamiliar with. And Dave noticed, too. Klaus jumped when he placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You alright?” Dave asked. Klaus lightly scratched at his stomach over his shirt, where the new tattoo was healing. He felt like he couldn’t speak without crying, so instead he just shook his head. Dave nodded and lead them away from the mayhem. He brought them to behind a truck that wasn’t being used at the moment.

Klaus shuddered and let out a sob as soon as they were alone and out of earshot. He leaned his back against the side of the truck and shook out his hands, but it was no use, he was shaking bad. Dave brought his hands to Klaus’ arms and rubbed them gently.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Dave started, but Klaus waved him off.

“No, it’s really not,” Klaus sniffled. “This is… everyone just keeps _going_ and it’s like nothing happened and no one cares and I just,” his voice broke and he took in a sharp breath before letting it out with a sob.

“Babe, I’m sorry,” Dave whispered. “But they’re used to loses like this. And you are, too.”

Klaus looked at him with anguish. “No, this is different. And I’ve had no time to—“ He cut himself off with a sob again. Dave calmly shushed him as he pulled him in. He tightly held Klaus around the shoulders.

“It’s awful. And it’s not going to feel right for a while, but we’ll get through it,” Dave said.

“Dave,” Klaus said as he pulled away. He pointed at his own heart,” I- I could _feel_ him. When he left,” Klaus told him. His bottom lip quivered. “I-I-I haven’t felt that since, since _Ben_ died, I—“ Dave pulled him back in as Klaus brokenly sobbed into his neck. He held him like that for a few minutes. Klaus really needed to let it out. He didn’t get a chance to before.

Dave pulled back and looked into Klaus’ sad, broken eyes.

“And now,” Klaus continued. “We have all this _planning_ going on and-and the battle and. I can’t _do it_.”

“Yes, you can,” Dave said quickly. He brought his hands to Klaus’ cheeks as he told him, “You’re going to be okay.” And for emphasis, in the heat of the moment, Dave brought him in for a solid, reassuring kiss. He let it linger before pulling back to look into Klaus’ eyes once more. “I’m going to make sure we’re okay.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooweee it's been a hot minute, but I'm back now. Sorry the wait ended with such a sad update, and it's only going to get more intense from here. But don't worry, things will look up for Klaus soon.
> 
> And some of you might know this from my tumblr, but the next few updates are going to be really quick as I already have the chapters written, so be on the lookout for the next update very soon. 
> 
> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter eleven coming soon ~ <3


	11. The Storm

They had been planning their ambush for a while now. It was the start of January, but that meant nothing in the heat. Time didn’t exist here. The scar from losing Howie was slowly starting to scab over, but the emotional pain was still very fresh in Klaus’ mind.

When they first started their planning, Jake had laid out a large map of the area on the table and marked specific locations on it. He showed where the hideout was, where the territory line was. He showed how close they were to the river and where they could expect to find booby traps. But Klaus didn’t listen to a word of it. He had been there, after all.

Now, months later, he sat among the other soldiers. His fists and jaw were clenched as he eagerly listened to the plan on how they’d destroy the people who took away the closest thing he’s had to a real sibling.

It was a simple enough idea. Show up in the middle of the night, attack, win. Be prepared for anything, don’t fuck around, and stay vigilant. Of course there was more detail to it than that. There were assigned groups to certain areas. Moments were timed out as to who would move where and when. Rosswell wanted this battle to be as quick and painless as possible. He wanted it to operate like clockwork. He may be a character, but he’s got quite the mind for strategizing.

Klaus was equally anxious and excited. This was his first major battle. The chance of survival was low, but he was playing the numbers game in his head. No way would he be front line material, but he didn’t want to linger in the back, either. He thought he and Dave would be able to weasel on by in the middle, yet still be able to cause a lot of damage. He fantasized about it, trying to predict the enemy’s moves and how they would react. He was almost smiling to himself as he thought of the cunning ways they’d survive together.

But then Dave volunteered for first line. And Klaus had no choice but to follow him there.

 

“What was that??” Klaus tried not to yell as they got out of the briefing.

“What was what?” Dave asked, genuinely wondering what he did wrong. They stood away from the door of the tent, where no one was paying them any attention.

“First line??” Klaus asked in a whisper-yell. “You do realize _next month_ is February, right?”

Dave looked at him for a moment and sighed. “Yeah. Yeah, I realize.”

“Then why?...” Klaus asked. He was outrageously heartbroken. “You’re so close to freedom! Why would you throw that away?”  His voice got softer as he stepped closer. “We could escape this. Together.” But Dave was shaking his head at Klaus’ words.

“I already told you, Klaus,” Dave said. His shoulders moved in a mild shrug. “I don’t know how I’d… I want to _accomplish_ something while I’m here.”

These words were lost on Klaus. “Why does _that_ matter?” He asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Like, I want revenge just as much as you, but—“

“—You think this is about revenge?” Dave asked, clearly offended.

“Well, what _else_  could it be about?” Klaus asked, exasperated.

Dave shook his head at him, mouth ajar. “I can’t—we can’t have this conversation right now.” “Wha—?” Klaus asked, but he was cut-off by Dave holding his hands up in defense. He then  

turned on his heels, and walked away. But Klaus couldn’t let him go. Not now, not with all these thoughts running through his head. “Hey, wait,” he called, catching up with Dave and grabbing his arm. He let himself be stopped by Klaus and turned to face him.

“What?” He asked.

“I just,” Klaus started playing with the fabric of Dave’s sleeve. “I don’t want to be in an argument with you right now.”

“Are we in an argument?” Dave asked a little challengingly. Klaus just shrugged and looked away. Dave sighed and gently pulled Klaus along to behind a tent. He stopped to look at him expectantly.

Klaus started. “Maybe I don’t understand now, but, I want to?”

Dave nodded. “Okay.”

“Obviously it’s not about revenge, that was probably just me self-projecting,” Klaus said. “Just please give me some time, yeah?”

“I’m honestly surprised you didn’t figure it out before.”

Klaus was taken aback there for a moment. His face changed into something more hurt. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.” He wanted desperately to get out of this conversation now. Even though he was fully aware he had started it.

But Dave’s face softened. He reached for Klaus’ hand. “You didn’t disappoint me,” he said. “Your reaction just surprised me is all.”

“Yeah, and you volunteering for first line surprised me!” Klaus took his hand away.

Dave pursed his lips together. His eyes cast downward as he thought of the best thing to say right now. “Okay,” he started slowly. “I also don’t want to fight with you, so I’m just going to tell you, because I know you’ll understand. And there’s no point in dragging this out.”

“Okay, I agree,” Klaus said, crossing his arms.

Dave took a deep breath. “You know I was drafted?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s it.” Dave said simply. Klaus cocked his head. “I was ripped from my life, from my family. I was just starting my career. And I had to come here.” His words were sorrowful, but his voice was placid. Like he had accepted his fate long ago and was now trying to make amends with it.

“So you want to make it worth it,” Klaus completed for him. He breathed out the words like they were so obvious. He felt so stupid. He looked up at Dave, teary-eyed. “I’m sorry.”

Dave shook his head. “It’s okay. I told you you’d understand, “ his voice carried some humor with it. Klaus huffed a sad laugh.

“So, you’re not mad at me?” Klaus asked. His eyes were big and glistening. Always so expressive, Klaus wore his heart on his sleeve. It was one of Dave’s favorite things about him. His face softened deeply at Klaus’ question.

“Of course I’m not mad at you,” Dave said, stepping forward and pulling Klaus in by his hip. Klaus let his arms fall and his eyes fell downward.  Dave brought a hand to Klaus’ face to make him look back up. “Of course I’m not mad at you,” he repeated. “And I’m not disappointed, either.” Klaus smiled sadly at him. “Are-are you still mad at me?”

Then Klaus’ smile broke out into a full, toothy one. “No, I’m not.”

Dave grinned and gave Klaus’ cheek a soft kiss. “Good,” he said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Klaus murmured. His voice sounded muffled since he was squishing his cheek into Dave’s hand. He chuckled and ruffled up Klaus’ hair.

“Come on, it’s close to meal time.”

 

Normally after a day like today, Klaus would riffle through his things for his stash. But his pact with Nico was on a suspended hold. It had been for a month now. Something had happened after they came back from finding the hideout. Something Klaus had given up on trying to piece together.

 

~

 

“Hey, uh, Nico,” Klaus awkwardly got the man’s attention. He was sitting at his bunk, cleaning his disassembled rifle.

“What’s up, Hargreeves?” Nico asked, not looking up at him. Klaus wrung his hands together.

“Do you… have anything to spare?” Klaus asked. Nico looked up at him to raise an eyebrow. “I just—I’m all out and I, uh. I need something.” He let his arms fall down to his sides in defeat as he finished.

Nico kept Klaus waiting as he started to reassemble his gun. He finally grunted and spoke, “You know, Hargreeves, I don’t really think that’s any of my concern.”

“What?”

“I’m saying,” he looked up at him again as he locked the barrel into place. “That’s your own damn problem.”

“I don’t. I don’t understand,” Klaus said.

“Of course you don’t,” Nico said with a small laugh. His working hands paused for a second as he looked up at Klaus. “It means I’m not your guy anymore.” He shrugged and pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocket, popped it in his mouth, and lit it. Then he went back to work as if Klaus wasn’t there. 

 The confusion was clear on Klaus’ face. “What? Why? You’ve been so good to me.” He huffed. “ _I’ve_ been good to _you!_ ”

“Have you?” Nico asked with a head tilt. He didn’t wait for an answer. “Either way, I’m afraid that’s come to an end, my friend.” He snapped the final piece into place. “Good luck getting your own shit.”

“Can you at least tell me why?” Klaus asked. Nico looked at him for a moment before sighing and standing up. He leaned the newly assembled rifle on the side of his cot.

“Maybe I don’t feel like helping out the queer anymore. Makes me a liability.”

Klaus blinked in surprise. “What?” He squeaked out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But he said it slowly and lamely, with a nervous laugh. Nico wasn’t convinced in the slightest.

“Oh, come on, you make it obvious enough. You basically scream it.”

Klaus scoffed. “Well, if it’s so obvious, why is it such a problem now?” He challenged.

“Maybe I’m tired of being used! Ever thought of that?”

“You volunteered to help me!”

“Yeah, but now I know it’s so you can parade around with that cocksucking Jew of yours!”

Klaus reeled back for a second. He blinked slowly at Nico and then stepped forward, easily towering over him. “What the fuck did you just say?” He asked.

“You heard me,” Nico said. He stepped closer to Klaus, unintimidated by him. He got so close  that Klaus could feel his breath as he spoke, ” I’m not your man so long as you’re on your knees for that bloodsucking—“

He didn’t get to finish his thought as Klaus struck him sharply across the face. It was mostly in reflex.  Nico cried out and brought a hand to his check. Klaus’ slap was sharp enough to break some skin along his jaw. He grunted as he checked his hand for blood.

“You know, it’s funny, Dave actually told me to watch out for you. Said you were a little prick,” Klaus said. “But I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.” Nico grunted in surprise at the amount of blood leaking from his face. “Turns out, he was right.”

Then Klaus leaned over him again and got close to his ear.

“And for your information, I very much enjoy being on my knees for him,” he said. Then he turned and started to walk away.

“Watch yourself, Hargreeves,” Nico called after him.

Klaus swiftly turned back around and shoved his finger in Nico’s face, which only made the shorter man chuckle. “No, you watch _your_ self, Formaggio. You’re out of allies.” Klaus smirked as he thought of something.  “And you think I don’t know how to get my own shit??” Nico’s face shifted, but it was hard to read. “I’ve been doing this shit for almost as long as you’ve been alive!”

Klaus paused and looked over Nico. He looked pathetic, slightly cowering before Klaus. His face softened slightly as he realized that whatever Nico thought of him or Dave, it didn’t matter. He was insignificant. And because of this, he had won the fight before it even started. He straightened his back before speaking, “I think you need me more than I need you.”

Nico only laughed. “Alright, so you’re just gonna skip on into town now, then? Or what?”

“I’ll do whatever I have to do,” Klaus said. He stepped closer to Nico. “And if you insult Dave one more time, or hell, even come _near_ him again, I’ll rip your throat out.”  

“Oh, so, you’d turn on your fellow man?” Nico challenged.

“You’re not my man,” Klaus snapped back quickly. “You said it yourself.” Nico scowled at him.

“Have fun getting killed out there, then,” Nico said. He meant for it to sound menacing, but Klaus just chuckled at him.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty fucking spectacular out there. After all, I am the 173rd’s crouching tiger,” he said with a bow, using Nico’s words against him for the second time. Nico scowl’s grew. Then Klaus spat at his feet and turned to leave the tent.

 

~

 

But Klaus didn’t venture the streets in search for his next fix. He still would rather spend whatever free time they had left with Dave. He had to make due with bumming off everyone else and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

Klaus sat down between Dave and Connor at meal time. He elbowed the blonde and leaned in, “Got any treats for me?” He asked. Connor grinned and gave him a spare pill from inside his pocket. Connor wasn’t as big of a user as Klaus, but he knew how to have fun. Klaus thanked him and took his happy pill for the day.

 

Tensions continued to rise as the days passed. It still didn’t feel real until they picked a day to march into the hideout. The meteorologist on staff predicted heavy rain in three days and Rosswell decided to do it then. Which came as a surprise to some soldiers, but he had his reasoning. The rain might hinder them, but that just means it would hinder the VC as well. Besides, they’d be prepared for battle. And the element of surprise would give them the upper hand.

The next few days felt dream-like to Klaus. But not like he was dreaming, more like that moment right before he fell asleep. Right before the nightmares started. Klaus had barely talked to anyone. Except for Dave. Late the night before, Klaus was sitting up on his cot. His knees were brought in close to his chest and his arms were wrapped around his legs. He was just about rocking back and forth.

“Klaus?” Dave called from his barely asleep state.

“Yeah?” Klaus asked so quietly, he wasn’t sure if Dave even heard him. But then a hand was reaching out to him and Klaus took it.

“Are you going to be okay?” Dave asked. Klaus’ matted, curly hair barely moved as he nodded. “You can’t be like this tomorrow,” Dave continued. But Klaus was silent. “Baby?”

“I know,” Klaus sighed heavily.

“And I’ll be there with you,” Dave said. Klaus finally looked at him and Dave squeezed his hand. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Klaus said, just as quiet as before.

 

Along with a bunch of guys Klaus barely spoke to, Benny, Connor, Trevor, and Jake also volunteered for first line. A few copies of the map with the battle plans were made and were to be held by the leaders of each group. Trevor and Jake were each given an assigned group. Trevor’s was to take the front of the hideout and Jake’s the back. Trevor’s squad was composed of mostly young-bloods. Jake took the rest of the vets.   

They left in the early evening. It was always more difficult getting larger numbers through the forest at the same time. But they were ridged and no one was in the state of mind to joke around. They were silent as mice as they moved. Adrenaline came with the anticipation and everyone was focused on the task at hand.

When they approached the two mile radius around the hideout, that’s when the troops split up into their designated groups. If this battle was to be successful, they had to get them on all sides. Klaus and Dave’s group was the most important: They were the ones blocking the Laos border.

The rain was so loud that it was making it hard to hear, which was the most inconvenient thing nature could be doing at this very moment. Klaus felt like he couldn’t even open his mouth without water getting into his lungs. His eyes squinted past the shower as he tried to listen to Rosswell’s words.

“You circle ‘round back, page Madej, then hang low. Wait for my signal before giving away your position.” The crew already knew what to do, he was just repeating it for a final safety measure. “Remember, you’re our last piece of the puzzle, as they’ll be moving your way when we get them to retreat.” Rosswell was speaking with a mighty confidence. It actually made Klaus start to get excited.

“I’ll see you out there,” Clyde said to Benny when the final briefing was over. They did a one-armed hug and clapped each other’s backs.

“Show ‘em what you’re made of,” Benny said. Clyde winked and then turned to join the rest of his group. He didn’t have the galls to volunteer for first line. Instead, he was a part of the group that flanked the river.  

“Are we all ready?” Jake asked his men. Klaus and Dave made eye contact and then looked to Benny, who winked at them.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Benny said.

Even though Jake appeared to have a whole lifetime of experience being in the wildness,  he was still young and it was still a difficult trek. And leading such a large group is always a challenge. They even had to scale a decent sized outcrop at one point, something some guys had never had to do outside of training. Klaus surprised himself with the ease with which he climbed the rock.  

“Years of practice of sneaking out of my father’s house,” Klaus said. He normally laughed at his own humor, but now was not the time. Most of these people didn’t even really know him. He sighed, still wondering how he got into this position.

The last man made it over the rock wall and they continued on their way. They had only made it a few meters passed the wall when Jake fell through the jungle floor.

“Fuck!” Klaus yelled as he ran to where he fell, but Dave caught him by his waistband.  

“Don’t,” he told him.

They stood and watched as a hand shot out from the hole on the ground. Jake struggled to lift himself out and crawled only three feet away from the lip before collapsing for good.

“JAKE!” Connor yelled in distress. And then the grey snakes started slithering out of the pit. Connor screamed as he brandished his knife and sunk it into every snake body that dared make its way to the surface.

“Connor, Connor, Connor,” Benny tried as he hesitantly approached him. His laid his hand on Connor’s back and with his touch came the sobs from the man collapsed on  the ground. He crawled over to Jake and held his head in his lap. It was no use, though. He was already dead.

Klaus cursed at the sky and started kicking the nearest tree. “God! Fucking damn it!!” He cried. His hands went to his increasingly messy hair and he ripped out a chunk. It feathered to the ground.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay,” Benny tried to assure his men. Connor ignored him as he took the map from Jake’s still-warm hands.

“Might as well take this, too,” Connor said. He grabbed Jake’s knife and took it for himself. Then he took his rifle and ammo and threw them to the guys for whoever to take. Then he closed Jake’s eyes and covered them with leaves.

He stood up as he studied the map. “I grew up with him, you know,” Connor told the guys. Klaus’ angry tears fell down his cheeks. “I may not be as good as him, but,” he shook the map. “I think I can…. I can do it,” he said with a nod.

Benny nodded back at him and clapped his shoulder. He gave him an extra squeeze and said, “You got this. We’re behind you.”

There was dead silence as they marched on. And they stayed silent as the sun set.

“He would’ve seen it,” Klaus said quietly. “He would’ve said the leaves were out of place or something.” He didn’t have to say it, but they all knew who he was talking about. Or at least, the guys that mattered did.

Klaus had no idea how Connor managed to stay so strong as he lead them. It’s been over a month since Howie died and Klaus still felt like it happened just yesterday. Yet, Connor just watched his best friend die and he was carrying on with an emotional strength Klaus could only dream of having. Even just thinking of Howie now made his stomach ache and his hands subconsciously rested over his ribs. He wondered if Howie would’ve volunteered for first line with him.

Klaus was shivering and miserable. The only thing grounding him was the feeling of Dave’s hand holding onto the fabric on the back of his vest.

The mud made the march increasingly difficult. The men’s boots would sink into the ground with each step and they had to yank themselves free each time. It was slow moving, but that was okay. They had plenty of time to get into position.

They marched with laser focus. As the rain got heavier, the sky got darker and it was getting damn near impossible to see. Even so, they were getting closer to their position and they knew the other groups were either on pace or ahead of them.

It didn’t take much longer for them to find their designation on the map. Connor checked his watch: 0130. The battle would begin at any moment now.

Next to him, Klaus could feel Dave’s mood shift as reality was settling over all of them. This could be their last moment together. This thought wasn’t lost on Dave as he looked over to Klaus with mild panic on his face.

“Klaus,” he whispered, just for him to hear.

“Yeah?”

Dave leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. His hand gently rested on Klaus’ arm as he spoke. “I just want to tell you that I love you and I’m glad I met you. You’re the best thing to come out of all of this.” And as if realizing it for the first time, he added. “You made this all worth it.”

Dave was really going to make Klaus cry before this battle, wasn’t he? Klaus hiccupped as he tried not to sob. He closed his eyes and let a few tears escape to ease the tension. He finally looked over to Dave with a pout.

“I love you, too,” He barely squeaked out. “But don’t you talk like this is the end.” He gave Dave’s hand a squeeze.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He squeezed Klaus’ arm and returned, with a sad smile, “See you tomorrow.”

And then Connor paged Trevor over his walkie-talkie to give him the signal and shouting was heard from a few hundred meters away.

 

When Dave had volunteered for first line in the most crucial position, he imagined it quite differently. As in, he wasn’t expecting to be sitting there for a good twenty minutes while the battle raged on. He felt useless. But he supposed, this should’ve been expected when Rosswell proposed the element of surprise.

No one was talking either, obviously. They just sat there, low to the ground, waiting for Rosswell’s signal. Or any signal at all.

“So, what exactly are we meant to be looking out for?” Klaus asked in a loud whisper. He swore he could hear the eye rolls from some of the soldiers around him.

“Rosswell’s got a flair for the dramatics, I’m sure we’ll know,” Benny said.

As if on cue, a helicopter motor could be heard from above the trees and through the rain. How anybody could be flying in this weather and at this time of night, Klaus had no idea. But again, such things are to be expected in the military.

Klaus only understood what was going on when the helicopter dropped a bomb on the hideout. The explosion was enough to shake the ground where Klaus and Dave’s group lied in wait. Where there was once an inconspicuous fortress was now engulfed in flames.

“God fucking damn!” Connor near shouted.

“That a good enough signal for you?” Benny asked Klaus. He just laughed. He continued laughing as he did a running in place warm up followed by a few, quick squats to limber up.

“Fuck yeah, let’s fucking go!” Klaus yelled, fully pumped up and ready. Soldiers were already coming their way, as if his yell was a call out to them. There was no telling how much damage the bomb actually did, but it was apparently enough to jump-start a retreat. Which is exactly what Rosswell was hoping would happen.

Their plan really worked like a charm. Panic was read from the VC soldiers the moment they realized their fail-safe was compromised. They tried to split up, but gunfire and grenades were being launched at them from all directions. They had no choice but to bunker down and fight.

Klaus kissed Howie’s dog-tags. “Alright, let’s go,” he said to himself before his line started advancing into the battlefield. The dense trees made for easy cover as they picked off the sitting ducks. The constant firing and bombs made it easier to see what they were doing.

“Woohoo!” Klaus exclaimed as he felt the biggest adrenaline rush of his life. And that was saying something. “Bombs away!” He yelled as he unclipped a grenade from his hip and launched it into a cluster of soldiers. He could hear their guts splatter as it exploded and he felt no remorse for them. It equally terrified and excited him.

He was downright giggling as he watched Benny fire five consecutive shots, each completely clean kills. Now, it was no secret to Klaus that Benny was an attractive man. But in that moment, he never looked sexier. It made him excited to tell Sophie about this night in his next letter to her.

“That’s a man right there!” Klaus shouted to no one in particular. They were winning. They were winning _really_ good _._ Klaus suddenly couldn’t remember why he was so distraught about Dave volunteering himself, and indirectly volunteering Klaus, for first line. He was having the time of his life. “Oh, if fucking Luther could see me now!” He yelled to the sky.

And then he looked back down to eye level and, even though he knew it was completely illogical, he could’ve sworn he made eye contact with _him_. The one who took Howie away. The man brought his gun up and Klaus quickly ducked behind a tree. Then he peaked out the other side and shot the man in the shoulder. He cried out and dropped his gun as his hand went to the bullet wound. Klaus fired him in the stomach. Then the chest. Then an extra shot to the head to finish him off. His body finally slumped into the mud and Klaus felt at peace.

He smiled to himself and looked to either flank to find Dave. He spotted him laying behind a fallen log for cover. Klaus decided to join him. He was having fun on his own, but he wanted to be near Dave. He skipped along the mud, just barely missing a stray bullet, before plopping down next to him.

“Helluva ride, huh, Dave??” He yelled in his ear.

“Better than fuckin’ Disney!” Dave yelled back. He gave Klaus a little smirk before bringing his eyes back to the battlefield.  

“The time of my fucking life,” Klaus said, locking onto a target. But before he could pull the trigger, a grenade went off just a little too close to them. Klaus tucked himself into a ball as the ground shook violently. Living his whole life on the east coast, he had never experienced an earth quake before, but he imagined it felt exactly like this.

Klaus couldn’t help but let out another “Woohoo!” as the rumbling wore off. “Never felt more alive!” He looked over to Dave with a bright smile. Even in the darkness, the flashing and flairs made his smile shine. Dave smiled right back up at him. He had a little crooked tooth that Klaus loved. It caught the light of the fire.

Just passed Dave, Klaus could see someone scaling a tree. At first he thought he was seeing Howie’s ghost and he froze. But then he truly recognized the man. It was Connor.

“Klaus?” Dave asked. Klaus brought a finger up to his lips and then pointed behind Dave’s shoulder to Connor. Dave turned to look for what Klaus saw.

And then Connor let his rifle lose into the small cluster of what was left of the VC. He screamed as he did so and Klaus was suddenly reminded of Tarzan. His smile returned as he realized what Connor was doing. He was avenging them. Both of them.

“YEAH, LEHMANN!” Klaus yelled. Dave joined him in his cheers before they both helped Connor out, aiming into the same grouping of men.

“We have to get closer!” Benny yelled over to them. “Whoever is left is in the cave!”

Another advancement. They were completely surrounding the opening of the cave. Someone threw a grenade into the entrance, which caused a slight collapse. There was still a few men left, though. They were using the new pile of rubble as cover. They were fighting with all they had left, knowing their end was coming.

Connor had swung down from his tree to join the advancement. One soldier within the cave aimed directly at him. Through an opening within the pile of rock, he stuck the end of his rifle through and fired.

And then the bullet whizzed right passed Connor and into Dave.

“FUCK! DAVE!” Klaus cried as the man collapsed to the ground. “Shit, shit, shit,” he exclaimed. He suddenly didn’t give a fuck about the battle. In his mind, it was over. He threw his rifle to the dirt and crawled to Dave’s side. His shaking hands pressed to Dave’s shoulder, where he saw the blood, making him cry out. “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he said.

Klaus couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling of déjà vu.

“Gah,” Dave strained. “It hit—my shoulder.”  

Klaus shushed him again. “I know, I know.” He was trying his very best to not cry or panic, for Dave’s sake. But then a spray of blood gushed out and he lost his cool.

“ _God fucking dammit!!_ ” He cried, pressing down more onto the deep wound. He may have pushed too hard because he swore he felt bones shift and break. Dave gasped, now completely helpless, lying on his back. He coughed and cried again, for every movement sent waves of sharp pain throughout his entire body. He could be pissed at himself and the world later, but right now all he was concerned about was Klaus remaining calm and getting him the hell out of there.

“Medic!!” Klaus called into the battle field. “We need a medic!!!” But he knew before he even opened his mouth that it was no use. The battlefield nurses wouldn’t come all the way out here. They couldn’t hear him over the gunfire, anyway. And besides, there wasn’t much they could do for Dave. He needed surgery. And as soon as possible.

In theory, it would be fine. Just call one of the helicopters and fly him right out of there.  But in reality, it was damn near impossible to do now. The pitch black sky and thunderous rain made it excruciatingly difficult to fly. And the added smoke from the fire made it worse. They already risked enough with the helicopter the first time around, they wouldn’t fly it back out just for one soldier. It made Klaus righteously angry. But that only fueled his adrenaline more. He realized now what he must do.

“It’s alright, Dave,” he said as he took off his vest. He wrapped it around Dave’s wounded shoulder and tied it off as a makeshift bandage. Then he draped Dave’s good arm around his shoulders and wrapped his other arm around Dave’s middle. Then he rose to a crouch and began to pull Dave along the ground.

He dragged him through the mud and smoke. Luckily, most of the gunfire was on the side of the river now. Slowly, they made their way to the edge of the battlefield. It took everything within Dave to not cry out and make themselves known. Every step Klaus took sent excruciating pain through Dave’s nerves. It was so much, he felt like his left arm was going numb. The bullet had gone all the way through and he was losing too much blood, despite the bandage.

Tears fell from Klaus’ eyes as he pushed down the panic long enough to get Dave a safe distance away. Here, a battlefield nurse could easily take a look at him. But there was no guarantee anything could be done.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thanks:  
> \- My beta reader Sabrina. You can find her here @TinyAngryWriter and on tumblr @ironwolf-gone .  
> -Leo for helping me with Dave’s characterization. You can find her here @Fandoms_are_my_lifestyle and on tumblr @fandoms-are-my-lifestyle .
> 
> You can find my TUA tumblr @theseance1968
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter Twelve next week! ~ <3


End file.
